UN CHIEF WARNS AGAINST ESCALATION IN ETHIOPIA'S TIGRAY REGION

NEW YORK, Feb 1 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday warned against escalation in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, calling on all parties to exercise restraint and resolve differences through peaceful dialogue and measures aimed at rebuilding trust, Xinhua reported.

The secretary-general is closely following developments in Tigray, where renewed tensions and reported clashes have contributed to a worsening security environment, his deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said in a statement.

Guterres is "deeply concerned about the potential impact on civilians and the risk of a return to a wider conflict in a region still working to rebuild and recover," said Haq.

The UN chief urged the full implementation of the Permanent Cessation of Hostilities Agreement and underscored the importance of safeguarding the gains made since 2022.

He reiterated the UN's readiness to work with the African Union(AU) and regional partners to help consolidate peace.

The Tigray region was at the epicentre of a two-year conflict between Ethiopian federal government-allied troops and forces loyal to the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which left millions in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

The AU-led Permanent Cessation of Hostilities Agreement was signed between the Ethiopian federal government and the TPLF in November 2022 in Pretoria, South Africa, bringing an end to the deadly conflict.

Reports of clashes in parts of the Tigray region in the past few days have triggered fears of a possible relapse into wider conflict.

--BERNAMA-XINHUA