The Ethiopian government said it has surrounded Tigray's regional capital, but the dissident TPLF has denied the reports. The three-week conflict has destabilized both Ethiopia and the wider region.

The Prime Minister warned the Tigray region it was "at the point of no return." The Tigray forces vowed to continue fighting, making the federal government "pay for every move."

After the rainy season and devastating floods, Ethiopia is facing an influx of desert locusts. Tens of thousands of people lost everything in the floods and the insects have destroyed many remaining crops. Meanwhile, war broke out earlier this month in the northern Tigray region between the army and Tigrayan forces. Local authorities are concerned that an already disastrous humanitarian crisis could get even worse. Our correspondent Maria Gerth-Niculescu reports.

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Federal forces now control the northwestern part of Tigray. As the government mobilizes resources to step up the fighting, humanitarian organizations are increasingly worried about civilians trapped in the conflict.

Ethiopia has installed a new head of Tigray after accusing the troubled region's leaders of treason. It also pressured the African Union to sack its security chief, an Ethiopian from Tigray, saying he was disloyal.

As tensions remain high between Ethiopia's federal government and local leaders in the northern region of Tigray, thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes and seek refuge in neighboring Sudan.