A plane flies next to Tigray Martyrs' monument during the funeral ceremony of Ethiopia's Army Chief of Staff Seare Mekonnen in Mekele, Tigray Region, Ethiopia June 26, 2019.
REUTERS/Tiksa NegeriJune 28 (Reuters) - The former governing party in Ethiopia's Tigray region said on Monday it was back in control of the regional capital Mekelle, and three residents reported seeing troops in Tigray regional uniforms in the city for the first time since November.
"The capital of Tigray, Mekelle, is under our control," Getachew Reda, spokesperson for the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), told Reuters by satellite phone.
The Ethiopian prime minister's spokesperson, the head of the government's emergency task force on Tigray and the military's spokesperson did not immediately respond to phone calls and messages seeking comment.
Last week, residents reported that TPLF forces had entered several towns north of Mekelle, although in at least one case they withdrew within hours.
Persons:
Staff Seare Mekonnen, Reda, Getnet Adane, Maggie Fick, Alexandra Zavis, Mike Collett
Organizations:
Ethiopia's Army, Staff, REUTERS, Tiksa, Reuters, White, Thomson
Locations:
Tigray, Mekele, Tigray Region, Ethiopia, Ethiopia's Tigray, Mekelle, Togoga