UN rights chief 'deeply alarmed' by escalating fighting in Ethiopia

The United Nations rights chief warned Friday of the threat the escalating fighting in Ethiopia poses to civilians, adding that "deeply troubling" internet and telecommunications interruptions were increasing the risks.

The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) seized local airports and launched attacks into the neighbouring states of Afar and Amhara this week with the support of local armed groups, saying they were once again in a "full-blown war" with the federal government.

"I am deeply alarmed by the recent escalation in hostilities... and the harmful impacts it is already having on civilians," said a statement from UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk.

"All parties must urgently de-escalate tensions and avoid a return to full-scale war."

The UN rights office highlighted reports that airstrikes by the Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF), some carried out using drones, had hit five Tigray schools on September 22, resulting in deaths and injuries.

"A mortar strike on 23 September in Kobo town in Amhara reportedly by the ENDF also resulted in civilian deaths," it said.

Turk called on the parties to ensure civilians were protected and to allow "safe and unimpeded humanitarian access to all who need it".

He also criticised the near-total disruption of phone networks and the internet, which has raised fears in Tigray of a return to the devastating blockade the northern region experienced during the last civil war.

The 2020-22 conflict was one of the deadliest of recent times, with an estimated death toll of more than 600,000 -- when electricity, banking, and almost all aid were cut off.

Turk also deplored an ongoing campaign of "forced mass recruitment of civilians, including children, by TPLF across Tigray", that included reprisal against anyone resisting recruitment -- and their families.

Turk also mentioned "disturbing reports of arbitrary conscription by government forces".