Ethiopia's Tigray rebels abandon regional capital of Mekelle as pro-government forces advance

Tigray rebels were abandoning their regional capital in northern Ethiopia on Saturday, a local journalist and residents told AFP, as pro-government forces advanced on the city. Fighting erupted on September 23 in northern Ethiopia as the rebel Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) launched attacks into neighbouring states, raising fears of a return to the devastating 2020-2022 civil war. Ethiopia: what's driving the renewed violence in Tigray? To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Cover image: © France 24 06:24 But federal forces and pro-government militias have pushed them back and are heading north towards the capital, Mekelle, having seized the city's airport on Friday. "TPLF militants and leaders are leaving Mekelle," the journalist said. Federal forces had not yet been seen inside the city. Government offices and police stations had been left without security personnel. Watch moreEthiopian army pushes back Tigrayan rebels "I am concerned that government and public pr...