TPLF says it seized three Tigray airports amid renewed fighting

The Tigray People’s Liberation Front announced on Saturday that it had taken control of three key airports – Axum, Mekelle and Humera – in the northern Tigray region, while fighting continued in the adjacent Amhara and Afar zones. In a statement released to local media, the TPLF said the operations marked the launch of a “defensive war” aimed at repelling what it described as an illegal federal assault on Tigrayan territory. The group’s claim comes after weeks of intensified clashes that have displaced tens of thousands of civilians and disrupted air traffic across the Horn of Africa.

The renewed offensive revives a conflict that first erupted in November 2020 when Ethiopia’s federal government, led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, launched a military campaign against the TPLF, accusing it of attacking a federal military base. The TPLF, which ruled Ethiopia as the dominant force within the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) coalition from 1991 to 2018, had been sidelined after Abiy’s reforms stripped it of national power. The federal offensive, backed by Eritrean troops, pushed deep into Tigray, causing a humanitarian crisis that drew condemnation from the United Nations and several Western governments. In 2023, the Ethiopian government removed the TPLF from its terrorist list, a move intended to facilitate negotiations, but talks stalled and sporadic fighting persisted.

From the federal perspective, the seizure of the airports represents a direct challenge to Ethiopia’s sovereignty and its ability to maintain security across a strategically important corridor linking the Red Sea to the interior of East Africa. The central government has repeatedly framed the TPLF as a separatist militia whose actions threaten national unity and jeopardize the country’s economic recovery after years of drought, inflation and pandemic‑related setbacks. Ethiopian officials have warned that any further TPLF advances could force a broader military response, potentially drawing in neighboring forces and complicating regional stability.

The TPLF, meanwhile, argues that its operations are a defensive response to what it calls an “unlawful occupation” of Tigrayan towns and infrastructure. By capturing the airports, the group aims to secure logistical lifelines for its fighters and to prevent the federal military from using air power to conduct strikes in the region. The TPLF’s narrative emphasizes the protection of civilian populations from indiscriminate bombing and asserts that its actions are intended to force a political settlement that restores Tigrayan autonomy within a federal Ethiopia. Its claim of a “defensive war” also seeks to rally support from diaspora communities and sympathetic regional actors who have criticized the federal government’s earlier conduct of the war.

The fighting has already begun to ripple beyond Ethiopia’s borders. The Horn of Africa is a critical node in several global supply chains, including the transport of coffee, livestock and minerals, and the airports seized by the TPLF handle a substantial share of cargo destined for landlocked neighboring states such as South Sudan and Djibouti. Disruption of these hubs could delay shipments, raise freight costs and compel exporters to reroute goods through longer, less secure corridors. Moreover, Ethiopia’s partnership with China on infrastructure projects – notably the Addis Ababa–Djibouti railway and a series of industrial parks – could be jeopardized if instability spreads, prompting foreign investors to reassess risk exposure in the region.

For Taiwan, the escalation underscores the broader strategic calculus of engaging with African markets amid rising great‑power competition. Taiwanese firms have increasingly looked to Ethiopia and the wider East African bloc for opportunities in electronics assembly, renewable‑energy components and agricultural technology. A protracted conflict that hampers transport links and inflames security concerns could curtail these investments and limit Taiwan’s ability to diversify its supply chains away from mainland China. Additionally, the crisis highlights the importance of diplomatic outreach; Taiwan’s “soft‑power” initiatives that emphasize health aid and technical cooperation could find renewed relevance if Ethiopia seeks alternative partners to rebuild war‑torn infrastructure and restore stability in the region.