Flights to northern Ethiopia cancelled as fears mount of renewed conflict

Passenger flights between Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, and cities in the northern Tigray region have been cancelled amid fears of a return to conflict, with reports of clashes in one area.

Ethiopia Airlines, which operates all routes in the country, sent passengers a text message about the cancellations citing “unplanned circumstances”. Neither the airline nor the government has commented further.

A BBC reporter in Tigray’s main city of Mekelle confirmed the news from airport staff who had been told not to go to work.

A 2022 peace deal to end a brutal civil war in Tigray has been unravelling as tensions grow over disputed territory and ahead of June’s elections.

Read more: BBC News