Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has said the military operation in the northern Tigray region is entering its “final phase” now that a three-day ultimatum given to fighters to surrender has expired.
At least 27,000 people have so far fled the fighting into neighbouring Sudan. The UN has said a “full-scale humanitarian crisis” is unfolding.
The conflict began almost a fortnight ago as tensions between the federal and regional governments boiled over.
Fighting broke out after Ethiopia’s government accused the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which controls Tigray, of treason and of occupying a military base.
