Ethiopian Airlines suspends flights to three Tigray cities amid reported airport seizures

AFP reports fighting between Tigrayan forces and federal troops in neighboring Afar. African Union Commission chair Mahmoud Ali Youssouf called for de-escalation and direct talks under the 2022 Pretoria peace agreement.

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TLDR

AFP reported on September 23, 2026, that Tigrayan forces had seized airports in Mekelle and Shire, and reportedly also Axum. The agency said Ethiopian Airlines had suspended flights to all three cities. Humanitarian workers told AFP that fighting between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front and federal troops broke out in Abala and Erebti in neighboring Afar late on September 22. Federal authorities had not commented at the time of AFP’s report. In a statement on September 23, African Union Commission chair Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said the airport seizures were inconsistent with the 2022 Pretoria peace agreement. He called for immediate de-escalation and direct talks, and asked AU envoy Olusegun Obasanjo to urgently engage the parties.