(../../../../favicon_aje.ico) Ethiopian forces enter strategic Tigray town of Adwa, witnesses say | Abiy Ahmed News | Al Jazeera    (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/12/ethiopian-troops-capture-adwa-without-a-fight-witnesses-say)                                              (https://www.aljazeera.com/xml/rss/all.xml)  (https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2026/10/12/ethiopian-troops-capture-adwa-without-a-fight-witnesses-say)  (https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/reuters_6acd09e8-1791822312.jpg?resize=1920%2C1440)  (../../../../wp-content/uploads/2026/10/reuters_6acd09e8-1791822312.jpg@resize=770,513&quality=80)     (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org/scripttemplates/otSDKStub.js) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (../../../../static/css/vendor~main~d08ff9cb.24bf1742.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~748942c6.7538e11f.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~b07b7304.e3bc53a0.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~6e6dca10.74fd263a.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~5db14389.9adb4a4c.r2.chunk.css) (https://www.aljazeera.com/static/media/Roboto-Bold.52bb58c8.woff2) (https://www.aljazeera.com/static/media/Roboto-Regular.c5bf51b6.woff2)  (../../../../static/css/vendor~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-blo~5f903362.2e08e417.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/component~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-~41c72a2c.3f309873.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/component~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-~06be7c11.0625e98d.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/common~493df0b3.ec3ab9b5.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/pages/article-page~493df0b3.accd71c7.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/common~493df0b3.ec3ab9b5.r2.chunk.css)   Skip links (ethiopian-troops-capture-adwa-without-a-fight-witnesses-say@traffic_source=rss.html#main-content-area) Skip to Content  (https://www.aljazeera.com/)          (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/live) play    Live    Sign up  Show navigation menu     Navigation menu (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/) News    Show more news sections  (https://www.aljazeera.com/africa/) Africa   (https://www.aljazeera.com/asia/) Asia   (https://www.aljazeera.com/us-canada/) US & Canada   (https://www.aljazeera.com/latin-america/) Latin America   (https://www.aljazeera.com/europe/) Europe   (https://www.aljazeera.com/asia-pacific/) Asia Pacific      (https://www.aljazeera.com/middle-east/) Middle East   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/explainer/) Explained   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sports) Sport   (https://www.aljazeera.com/opinion/) Opinion   (https://www.aljazeera.com/videos/) Video   More   Show more sections  (https://www.aljazeera.com/aljazeera-originals) Originals   (https://www.aljazeera.com/features/) Features   (https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/) Economy   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/human-rights/) Human Rights   (https://www.aljazeera.com/climate-crisis) Climate Crisis   (https://www.aljazeera.com/investigations/) Investigations   (https://www.aljazeera.com/interactives/) Interactives   (https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/) In Pictures   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/science-and-technology/) Science & Technology   (https://www.aljazeera.com/audio/podcasts) Podcasts   (https://www.aljazeera.com/travel) Travel   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sponsored/) Sponsored Content        (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/live) play    Live    Click here to search search     Sign up        (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/) News |(https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/abiy-ahmed/) Abiy Ahmed   Ethiopian forces enter strategic Tigray town of Adwa, witnesses say Ethiopian Airlines resumed flights to Tigray’s capital, Mekelle, on Sunday.   Listen   Listen (2 mins)       Save       Share Ethiopian forces enter strategic Tigray town of Adwa, witnesses say on social media share-nodes    Share (https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Fi3ost7) facebook      (https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Ethiopian%20forces%20enter%20strategic%20Tigray%20town%20of%20Adwa%2C%20witnesses%20say&source=sharethiscom&related=sharethis&via=AJEnglish&url=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Fi3ost7) x    (whatsapp://send?text=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Fi3ost7) whatsapp-stroke    (https://aje.news/i3ost7)  copylink          google       Add Al Jazeera on Google  info      (Passengers walk from the terminal after arriving at the Mekelle Alula Abanega International Airport after Ethiopian Airlines resume flight to Mekelle, Tigray Region, Ethiopia, October 11, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. Obtained by REUTERS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)   Passengers arrive at Mekelle airport after Ethiopian Airlines restored flights to the capital of Ethiopia's Tigray region, October 11, 2026 [Reuters]   By  AFP   Published On 12 Oct 2026 12 Oct 2026    Ethiopian government forces have entered the town of Adwa without a fight, days after (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/10/12/11-10-reported-ethiopia-hamza-mohammad-report-abiy-ahmed-ep) capturing Adigrat from rebel fighters as flights resumed to Mekelle in the country’s northern Tigray region. Residents of the northwestern town of Adwa, roughly 40km (24 miles) from Eritrea’s border, said federal forces and an allied militia entered the town on Sunday, a day after the withdrawal of fighters from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). Recommended Stories list of 3 items list 1 of 3 (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/11/ethiopia-eritrea-ramp-up-rhetoric-are-they-inching-towards-war) Ethiopia, Eritrea ramp up rhetoric: Are they inching towards war?  list 2 of 3 (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/11/at-least-109-dead-over-100-missing-as-migrant-boat-capsizes-off-djibouti) At least 139 dead, 84 missing as migrant boat capsizes off Djibouti  list 3 of 3 (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/10/eritrea-urges-un-to-intervene-in-standoff-with) Eritrea urges UN to intervene in standoff with Ethiopia   end of list  TPLF Vice President Amanuel Assefa said he “did not wish to comment”. “All the shops in the town are closed. Last night, many government institutions, including Adwa Hospital, were looted,” Aferwerki, a local resident who gave only one name, told AFP. Conflict monitor ACLED said that Ethiopian drone strikes targeted a hotel in Adwa on October 4, wounding between “five and nine people, including security personnel”, who were taken to hospital. Some ACLED sources indicated that TPLF Chairman Debretsion Gebremichael and other senior officials were at the hotel, but stressed the information had not been verified. Another resident who requested anonymity confirmed the TPLF forces withdrew from Adwa but said that although government forces were deployed in the town, they had not reached the centre. “The roads are deserted. People are very afraid of theft,” he said.      Last week, Ethiopian forces captured Tigray’s regional capital Mekelle, days after the TPLF (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/4/government-forces-seize-capital-of-ethiopias-tigray-region-from-rebels) confirmed that it had withdrawn from the city and moved its regional administration “temporarily” to another location. Advertisement    Ethiopian Airlines resumed flights from the capital, Addis Abba, to Mekelle on Sunday for the first time since September 23, when a seven-group (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/26/is-ethiopia-on-the-verge-of-another-civil-war-as-fighting-erupts-in-tigray) armed alliance , including the TPLF, started fighting Ethiopian forces and captured the airport. (In this photo taken with a smartphone, soldiers participate in a procession welcoming former Tigray leader Getachew Reda in Mekelle, Ethiopia, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Filmon Equar Hailu))  Soldiers participate in a procession welcoming former Tigray leader Getachew Reda in Mekelle, capital of Ethiopia’s Tigray region, October 11, 2026 [Filmon Equar Hailu/AP Photo]  “I would like to assure you on this occasion that we will bring visible change, a change beyond mere hope,” Getachew Reda, a former Tigray leader who now advises Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed told supporters greeting Reda and Ethiopia’s intelligence chief Redwan Hussein at Mekelle airport. Ethiopia has accused Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of backing the rebel alliance. Khartoum and Cairo have denied involvement. Eritrea, which fought alongside Ethiopia’s federal army in the 2020-2022 war, severed diplomatic ties with Ethiopia over the accusations last week.            aj-logo             aj-logo             aj-logo       Advertisement          About About   Show more  (https://www.aljazeera.com/about-us) About Us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/code-of-ethics/) Code of Ethics   (https://www.aljazeera.com/terms-and-conditions/) Terms and Conditions   (https://www.aljazeera.com/eu-eea-regulatory/) EU/EEA Regulatory Notice   (https://privacy.aljazeera.net/) Privacy Policy   (https://privacy.aljazeera.net/cookie/) Cookie Policy   (https://www.aljazeera.com/) Cookie Preferences    (https://trust.aljazeera.net/accessibility/) Accessibility Statement   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sitemap) Sitemap   (https://careers.aljazeera.net/) Work for us      Connect Connect   Show more  (https://network.aljazeera.net/en/contact?tid=6) Contact Us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/user-accounts-help) User Accounts Help   (https://commercial.aljazeera.net/) Advertise with us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/stay-connected) Stay Connected   (https://www.aljazeera.com/newsletters) Newsletters   (https://sat.aljazeera.net/en) Channel Finder   (https://www.aljazeera.com/schedule/) TV Schedule   (https://www.aljazeera.com/podcasts/) Podcasts   (https://webapps.aljazeera.net/aje/tips/) Submit a Tip   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sponsored) Paid Partner Content      Our Channels Our Channels   Show more  (http://aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Arabic   (https://www.aljazeera.com/) Al Jazeera English   (https://www.ajiunit.com/) Al Jazeera Investigative Unit   (https://www.aljazeeramubasher.net/) Al Jazeera Mubasher   (http://doc.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Documentary   (http://balkans.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Balkans   (http://ajplus.net/) AJ+      Our Network Our Network   Show more  (http://studies.aljazeera.net/en/) Al Jazeera Centre for Studies   (http://training.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Media Institute   (http://learning.aljazeera.net/) Learn Arabic   (http://liberties.aljazeera.com/en) Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights   (http://forum.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Forum   (https://hotels.aljazeera.net/en) Al Jazeera Hotel Partners        Follow Al Jazeera English: (https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera) facebook       (https://twitter.com/ajenglish) twitter     (https://www.youtube.com/aljazeeraenglish) youtube     (https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/?hl=en) instagram-colored-outline                          (https://www.aljazeera.com/xml/rss/all.xml) rss     (https://bsky.app/profile/aljazeera.com) bluesky     (https://www.tiktok.com/@aljazeeraenglish) tiktok-colored-outline                  (Al Jazeera Media Network logo)   © 2026 Al Jazeera Media Network