This frame grab from a video obtained from the Ethiopian Public Broadcaster (EBC) on Nov 4, 2020, shows Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed saying that he is ordering a military response to a deadly attack by the ruling party of Tigray, a region locked in a long-running dispute with Addis Ababa, on a camp housing federal troops. (ETHIOPIAN PUBLIC BROADCASTER / AFP)

Ethiopia prepared for a second day of clashes in the restive Tigray region as the United Nations and the US urged the two sides to step back from a conflict that risks erupting into a full-blown civil war.

Relations between the national and regional governments have deteriorated since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took office in 2018 and sidelined the TPLF, once the preeminent power broker in Ethiopia

The military engaged with forces loyal to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front in three areas on Wednesday and more operations are planned in the coming days, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said in a televised address. 

The prime minister’s office said the federal government had declared a six-month state of emergency in Tigray to be overseen by the chief of staff of the armed forces.

“The commission is gravely concerned and closely monitoring the fast-developing security situation in Tigray and other parts of the country,” said the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission in a statement. “EHRC urges both federal and regional security forces to ensure the safety and security of civilians.”

There was no immediate word on the number of casualties in the conflict, which erupted on Wednesday after Abiy accused the TPLF of orchestrating a raid on a federal army camp. Relations between the national and regional governments have deteriorated since Abiy took office in 2018 and sidelined the TPLF, once the preeminent power broker in Ethiopia.

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The fighting has unnerved investors. Yields on Ethiopia’s Eurobonds due 2024 jumped 64 basis points to 6.89 percent in London on Wednesday, the biggest increase in six months.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the US urged both sides to de-escalate tensions.

“We are saddened by the tragic loss of life and urge immediate action to restore the peace,” the US State Department said in a statement on its website.

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