Ethiopia’s offensive against its northern Tigray region has spilled over its borders, fuelling fears of a wider regional conflict.

Tigray’s leadership confirmed this past week it fired missiles into Eritrea’s capital Asmara. More than 27,000 refugees have fled over the border into neighbouring Sudan, with the UN is making plans for as many as 200,000 refugees fleeing there.

Kenya, Uganda, and Sudan are pushing for talks, but Ethiopia’s PM Abiy Ahmed has shrugged them off.

His forces reportedly are closing in on Tigray’s capital Mekelle – a city of more than 500,000 – and on Monday the air force bombed targets in and around the city.

Tigray leaders accuse Abiy of persecuting them and purging them from government and security forces since he took power in 2018. He says they rose against him by attacking a military base.