Berlin: Tigray conflict 'cause for great concern'

Germany on Monday said the growing conflict in the northern Ethiopian region of Tigray was "cause for great concern".

Speaking in Berlin, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Christofer Burger said that attempts by the Tigray People's Liberation Front to "widen the conflict and draw in neighbouring countries" were a particular worry.

Tigray's regional leader this weekend confirmed firing missiles at neighbouring Eritrea’s capital and threatened more.

It marked a huge escalation in the deadly fighting between Tigray forces and the federal government.

Tigray officials have accused Eritrea of entering the conflict on the side of the government in Ethiopia.

Burger called for a political process "to calm the situation and create space for solutions".

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas recently spoke to his Ethiopian counterpart and the foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia about the crisis.

Germany has also increased its humanitarian aid to Ethiopia to help civilians in need of humanitarian assistance in the region.

(Image Credit: AP)