Thousands of Amhara families fled to the town of Dessie away from fighting further north in Ethiopia.

The Ethiopian federal government on Monday refuted the alleged airstrike targeting civilian areas in Tigray after the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), a rebel group in northern Ethiopia accused the government forces of the airstrike in the Tigray regional capital, Mekelle and its surroundings.

Meanwhile, the Ethiopian government on Monday disclosed that at least 30 civilians were killed after an attack by rebel forces.

Since the early hours of Nov. 4, 2020, the Ethiopian government has been undertaking military operations against the TPLF.

Amhara residents told Reuters that Tigrayans had committed abuses in the territory they control. Hunger and rape are on the rise in the region.

And, Reuters has previously documented gang-rapes and mass killings of civilians in the Tigray region.

Last week, the United Nations described the situation in northern Ethiopia as unpredictable and volatile, and called on all parties to allow unimpeded and sustained access for humanitarian aid.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the most affected areas are the Tigray, Amhara and Afar regions. 

The delivery of humanitarian supplies to Tigray is severely restricted. The only road access is the Semera-Abala-Mekelle corridor.

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