United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at UN Headquarters in New York City, on February 4, 2020. AFP
"I am deeply shocked and saddened by the news of the resumption of hostilities in Ethiopia. Ethiopians, Tigrayans, Amharas, Oromos, Afars, have already suffered too much," Guterres told reporters before a Security Council meeting.
"My strong appeal is for an immediate cessation of hostilities and for the resumption of peace talks between the government and the TPLF," he said, referring to the rebel Tigray People's Liberation Front.
Guterres also called for the "full guarantee of humanitarian access" in battered northern Ethiopia, where public services and badly needed food and supplies were just returning.
Both the government and TPLF, formerly a dominant power in Addis Ababa, accused each other of striking first and shattering the fragile truce.
The violence comes amid a lack of progress in moving toward negotiations for a solution to end the 21-month conflict in Africa's second most populous nation.
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