Tigrayan forces

The United Nations on Monday urged Ethiopia to ensure the protection of civilians, a day after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed gave Tigrayan forces 72 hours to surrender before a military offensive on the regional capital of Mekelle.

Hundreds, possibly thousands, have been killed in fighting that erupted on Nov. 4 between Ethiopian federal forces and Tigray’s regional army, sending more than 30,000 refugees into neighbouring Sudan. Catherine Sozi, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Ethiopia, told Reuters that she hoped for the guarantee of safety and security of aid workers and the ‘protection of more than 525,000 civilian (non-combatants) who live …