The International Crisis Group has warned of the increasing risk of armed conflict developing as a result of an election dispute between the Ethiopian government and the authorities in the northern region of Tigray.

In a new briefing paper, the think- tank urges both parties to reconsider their positions.

Tigrayan officials have defied the federal government by vowing to press ahead with regional elections next month.

Ethiopia’s national elections were due to have been held this month but have been indefinitely postponed, owing to the coronavirus and political unrest sparked by the killing of a popular musician from the Oromia region.