مسلحو تيغراي يسيطرون على مطار ميكيلي.. والتوتر يتصاعد في إثيوبيا

As tensions rise with the federal government, armed groups in Tigray, northern Ethiopia, took control of the airport in the region's capital today (Wednesday), according to security and local sources.

An employee at Alula Aba Nega Airport in the capital Mekelle said, “While we were on our way to the airport for work, our supervisor called the driver and informed him that Tigray forces had taken control of the airport, and since there were no flights, we were asked to return to our homes.”

Ethiopian Airlines announced the suspension of its flights to Mekelle, Axum, and Shire in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia, attributing the suspension to the current situation in Tigray, without providing further details.

Seven armed Ethiopian groups announced on Sunday the formation of a coalition called the “Coalition of Ethiopian People's Forces for Survival,” stating that its goal is to overthrow the government led by the Prosperity Party headed by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and to form an inclusive transitional government, according to the magazine “Addis Standard.”

Zemeni Kasi, head of the Amhara National Movement Fano, mentioned via Tigray Television that the coalition includes the “Amhara National Movement Fano,” the “Oromo Liberation Army,” the “Tigray People's Liberation Front,” the “Western Somali National Liberation Front,” the “Revolutionary Front for the National Unity of Afar,” the “Liberation Movement of Benishangul Peoples,” and the “Democratic Movement of Jimma Peoples.”

The “Coalition for Survival” accused the government led by the Prosperity Party in a statement of overseeing what it described as widespread insecurity, armed conflicts, displacement, poverty, and a decline in democracy and human rights.

The coalition stated, “The historical mission and primary goal of the popular forces is to jointly defend ourselves against the destructive war that has been declared upon us,” adding that the immediate political objective after “overthrowing” the government will be to form an inclusive transitional government guided by a “transitional charter.”