Ethiopian federal forces enter Tigray town of Adwa

Ethiopian government forces entered the northwestern Tigray town of Adwa without a fight on Sunday after TPLF fighters withdrew, residents told AFP, days after federal forces captured Adigrat and retook the regional capital Mekelle.

Why it matters: The advance deepens the federal government's reconquest of Tigray and raises the risk of a wider regional war, with Addis Ababa accusing Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of backing the rebel alliance fighting alongside the TPLF.

Data as of Monday, October 12, 2026. Al Jazeera report opened and read in full; Adwa accounts are from local residents speaking to AFP, and a TPLF official declined to comment. Developing item, 2 to 3 sentences by design.

Ethiopian government forces and an allied militia entered Adwa, about 40 kilometres from the Eritrean border, on Sunday, a day after Tigray People’s Liberation Front fighters withdrew from the town, residents told AFP via Al Jazeera. One resident said shops were closed and government institutions, including Adwa Hospital, were looted overnight, while another said federal forces had deployed in the town but had not yet reached its centre.

The move follows the federal capture of Mekelle last week and of Adigrat days ago, and Ethiopian Airlines resumed flights to Mekelle on Sunday for the first time since September 23. Ethiopia has accused Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of backing the armed alliance fighting with the TPLF; Khartoum and Cairo have denied involvement, and Eritrea severed diplomatic ties with Ethiopia over the accusations last week.

Ethiopian federal forces enter Tigray town of Adwa

Sources