Forces Loyal to the Ethiopian Government Announce Control of a Strategic Town in Tigray

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An armed group loyal to the Ethiopian government said on Monday that the Ethiopian army and allied militants have taken control of a strategic town in the Tigray region, which is experiencing conflict, marking a shift in the balance of power after an attack launched by the opposition from the region last week. A video posted by the (Tigray Peace Force) loyal to the government on its Facebook page, which Reuters verified, showed soldiers walking in the streets of Alamata, a town located about 120 kilometers south of Mekelle, the capital of Tigray, waving Ethiopian flags.

Two diplomatic sources also reported that the town has been taken, while a third source connected to the opposition forces told Reuters that these forces are retreating from Alamata and expect the town to come under the control of the federal army within hours. The latest rounds of fighting are between the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the Tigray People's Liberation Front, a rebel movement that turned into a party that dominated political life in Ethiopia for nearly three decades before Abiy came to power in 2018. Neither spokespeople for the Ethiopian army nor the Tigray People's Liberation Front have yet responded to requests for comment. The capture of Alamata would represent a significant advance for federal forces in their push toward Mekelle, the capital of the region, which is about 120 kilometers to the north. Alamata is an important supply center for food and fuel for the troops near the southern border of Tigray with the neighboring Amhara region.

Federal forces and Tigray People's Liberation Front fighters exchanged control of the city several times during the civil war that lasted from 2020 to 2022. That war erupted due to the collapse of relations between the front and Abiy Ahmed.