<\/p>\n
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia \u2013 Ethiopia\u2019s government on Monday vowed to seize control of airports and other federal facilities in war-torn Tigray, a day after the African Union appealed for a ceasefire to the conflict.<\/p>\n
AU Commission chair Moussa Faki Mahamat called for an immediate and unconditional truce as combat intensified in northern Ethiopia, where pro-government forces and rebels from the Tigray region have been fighting for nearly two years.<\/p>\n
Faki also urged the rivals to \u201crecommit to dialogue\u201d after both sides accepted an AU invitation to peace talks that failed to materialise as violence spiralled.<\/p>\n
The authorities in Tigray said Sunday they were \u201cready to abide by an immediate cessation of hostilities\u201d and called on the international community to press the government to come to the table.<\/p>\n
Addis Ababa said in a statement Monday it was \u201ccommitted to the peaceful resolution of the conflict through the AU-led peace talks\u201d.<\/p>\n
But it said it would pursue this along with \u201cdefensive measures\u201d to protect Ethiopia\u2019s sovereignty and territorial integrity from internal and external threats.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is thus imperative that the Government of Ethiopia assumes immediate control of all airports, other federal facilities, and installations in the region,\u201d the statement from the Government Communication Service said.<\/p>\n
UN chief Antonio Guterres, the United States and other Western powers have voiced alarm over the worsening violence in Tigray and called for a peaceful settlement to \u201cthis catastrophic conflict\u201d.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed\u2019s government and the Tigrayan authorities were to attend AU-led negotiations in South Africa earlier this month but they did not go ahead, with logistical problems cited as one obstacle.<\/p>\n
\u2018Deep regret\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n Ethiopian forces along with troops from neighbouring Eritrea have meanwhile stepped up an offensive near Shire, a city of 100 000 people in northwestern Tigray, where civilian casualties have been reported in heavy shelling.<\/p>\n US aid chief Samantha Power on Sunday warned \u201cthe risk of additional atrocities and loss of life is intensifying\u201d around Shire, and accused Ethiopian and Eritrean forces of indiscriminate attacks.<\/p>\n On Friday, an aid worker from the International Rescue Committee was among three civilians killed in an attack in Shire left others injured.<\/p>\n The IRC staffer was distributing food to \u201cvulnerable\u201d civilians including women and children, said the Food Programme (WFP), which condemned the targeting of aid personnel.<\/p>\n Britain\u2019s minister for Africa, Gillian Keegan, said she was \u201cappalled\u201d by the attack.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the 24th aid worker killed in Tigray since the start of the conflict. Civilians and aid workers must be protected and #NotATarget,\u201d Keegan wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n Appalled that a @RESCUEorg<\/a> humanitarian worker was killed alongside civilians in Shire in Ethiopia on Friday while delivering aid. This is the 24th aid worker killed in Tigray since the start of the conflict. Civilians and aid workers must be protected and #NotATarget<\/a><\/p>\n\n