UK warns against travel to Ethiopia's Tigray amid fresh clashes

Hostilities flared in recent days in Tsemlet, western Tigray -- an area claimed by forces from the neighbouring Amhara region -- raising fears of a renewed conflict between local fighters and federal troops.

The fighting has drawn concern from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, as well as the African Union and the European Union, all of whom have called on the parties to exercise restraint.

In its latest travel advisory, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office warned its citizens "against all travel to all parts of Tigray region following renewed violence".

The warning comes a day after two drone attacks killed a truck driver in central Tigray, according to Dimtsi Woyane television, a media outlet close to the Tigrayan authorities.

Around three years ago, the volatile region emerged from a brutal war between Ethiopian forces and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) that the African Union says killed at least 600,000 people.

Flights to Tigray have been suspended since Thursday following the renewed clashes.

Ethiopia's federal army has yet to respond to AFP requests for comment on the situation in the region.