Ethiopia's Tigray rebels abandon regional capital as govt advances

Tigray rebels were abandoning their regional capital in northern Ethiopia on Saturday, a local journalist and residents told AFP , as pro-government forces advanced on the city. Fighting erupted on September 23 in northern Ethiopia as the rebel Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) launched attacks into neighbouring states, raising fears of a return to the devastating 2020-2022 civil war. But federal forces and pro-government militias have pushed them back in recent days and they were heading north towards the regional capital, Mekelle. “TPLF militants and leaders are leaving Mekelle,” the…