The UN human rights office expressed alarm at “multiple, deeply disturbing reports” of air strikes in the Tigray region, saying at least 108 civilians had been killed since the start of January.

Liz Throssell, an Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) spokesperson, described numerous attacks including on a private minibus, an airport and a camp for displaced people. At least 59 people died in the camp strike, making it the most lethal so far.

“We are alarmed by the multiple, deeply disturbing reports we continue to receive of civilian casualties and destruction of civilian objects resulting from air strikes in Ethiopia’s Tigray region,” Throssell told reporters in Geneva.

“At least 108 civilians have reportedly been killed and 75 others injured since the year began as a result of air strikes allegedly carried out by the Ethiopian air force.”

Throssell called on Ethiopian authorities and their allies to ensure the protection of civilians in line with international law which requires verification that targets are military.

“We call on the Ethiopian authorities and their allies to ensure the protection of civilians and civilian objects, in line with their obligations under international law,” she said.