UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called on all parties to cease hostilities in northern Ethiopia and warned that the fighting in the Tigray, Afar and Amhara regions risks escalating in ways that would further destabilise the wider region. UN News reports that the statement was issued by his Spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, on the night of Friday 9 October in New York.
What the UN says
The Secretary-General called on the signatories of the 2022 Pretoria Agreement to return to dialogue under its framework. He reminded all States in the region of their Charter obligation to "refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State", and of the principle of non-interference in internal affairs. He appealed to countries with influence over the parties to use it to support de-escalation and to avoid any action that could fuel the conflict, and said he stands ready to offer his good offices.
On the humanitarian side, UN News reports that continued hostilities are displacing people across central, northwestern and eastern Tigray, and that verified figures are not yet available. It says the UN and its partners are ready to resume aid operations in the northern regions, including Tigray, as soon as safe access allows, and that a government-led effort to help displaced people return from the town of Kobo in Amhara has been suspended after security there deteriorated.
What is disputed
UN News attributes the following to media reports and news agencies, not to the UN itself. Ethiopia has accused neighbouring Eritrea of an "all-out invasion" of Tigray. In a letter to the Security Council, Ethiopia's foreign minister is reported to have said Eritrean troops had advanced up to 60 kilometres into the region. Eritrea has rejected the claim, with its information minister saying his country faces an "unprovoked war of aggression", and it denies backing the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF).
On the ground, UN News says news reports indicate Ethiopian drone strikes hit Eritrean forces in the Tigrayan town of Adigrat this week, with no verified reports of casualties. It says fighting between Ethiopian government troops and the TPLF broke out about two weeks ago, with each side blaming the other for violating the 2022 deal, and that media reports say TPLF forces withdrew from the regional capital, Mekelle, last week and the city is now under army control.
What the FCDO says
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advises against all travel to Tigray region and to Amhara region. In Afar it advises against all travel within 20km of the border with Eritrea and within 50km of the boundary with Tigray, and against all but essential travel to the rest of Afar. It also advises against all travel within 20km of the Eritrea border across Ethiopia. Its Ethiopia page says: "All civilian flights to and from Tigray region were suspended on 22 September 2026." Anyone in Tigray is told to shelter in place and, "As soon as you judge it is safe to do so", to leave using commercial means.
The Safety and security page says: "The security situation in northern Ethiopia may deteriorate quickly." It reports renewed clashes between insurgent groups and the Ethiopian military in parts of Afar and Tigray, "including reports of drone strikes which have increased in frequency since August 2026". The Warnings and insurance page adds that staff at the British Embassy in Addis Ababa "cannot offer support in person in areas of Ethiopia where FCDO advises against travel."
On the other side of the border, the FCDO's Eritrea advice, updated on Friday 9 October, now advises against all but essential travel to the rest of Eritrea and continues to advise against all travel within 25km of Eritrea's land borders. It states: "Tensions between Eritrea and Ethiopia are high."
What it does not say
Neither the UN News report nor the FCDO pages independently confirm the reported Eritrean advance, and the UN News report carries no verified casualty or displacement figures. The Ethiopian and Eritrean accounts are reported as claims by each side.
What it means for operators
Treat northern Ethiopia and the Eritrea border as a fast-moving, contested picture where the figures are not yet reliable. Any task in the north needs current FCDO and UN access information, not last week's.
With civilian flights to Tigray suspended and the FCDO telling British nationals in Tigray to shelter in place, do not plan on leaving Tigray by air, and build any departure plan around the FCDO's own instructions. Insurance can be invalidated by travel against FCDO advice, so confirm cover in writing before any task near the advise-against areas.
If your team crosses between Ethiopia and Eritrea, or works near either border, expect conditions to change with little notice. Keep the whole party briefed on the shelter-in-place instructions and on the limits of in-person embassy support.
