Ethiopia officials visit Tigray as Mekelle flights resume

Ethiopia's intelligence chief and a federal minister travelled to Mekelle on Sunday as flights to the Tigray regional capital resumed after a two-week suspension caused by fighting.

Redwan Hussein, Ethiopia's head of intelligence and a key adviser to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, arrived on the first Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa after the suspension ended. He was accompanied by Getachew Reda, Ethiopia's minister for East African affairs and a former Tigrayan rebel leader.

Getachew also travelled Sunday to Adigrat, near the Eritrean border, to speak to supporters. Eritrean forces had recently entered the town before it was retaken by Ethiopian troops.

Hostilities erupted in late September between the federal army and the Tigray People's Liberation Front, raising fears of a fresh war involving Ethiopia and Eritrea. Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of backing TPLF forces.

A passenger, Filmon Haile, said the resumption of flights was a “huge relief” after weeks of anxiety, reports of drone strikes on Mekelle and a telecommunications blackout.