UN rights office decries Ethiopia airstrikes, says 108 killed this month

The UN human rights office (OHCHR) on Friday expressed alarm at “multiple, deeply disturbing reports” of airstrikes in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, saying at least 108 civilians had been killed since the start of January.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said later on Friday that he was “heartbroken by the suffering of the Ethiopian people,” appealing again for the parties to stop fighting.

A UN World Food Programme official warned at the same briefing that its operations in northern Ethiopia “are about to grind to a halt” because of intense fighting nearby.