UN chief warns Ethiopia war 'spiralling out of control'

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. PHOTO | AFP

UN chief Antonio Guterres warned Monday that the situation in Ethiopia was "spiralling out of control" as fighting raged in the north of the country and the government vowed to seize control of airports and other sites in Tigray.

International alarm has been mounting over the upsurge in combat in Tigray, where Ethiopian forces and troops from neighbouring Eritrea have stepped up an offensive near the city of Shire.