The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) has welcomed calls for "restraint and dialogue," days after fresh clashes erupted between local and federal forces in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region.
TPLF, a leading opposition party, once ran the whole of Ethiopia until it was displaced by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, and remains banned from engaging in political activities.
Hostilities flared in recent days in Tsemlet, western Tigray, an area claimed by forces from the neighbouring Amhara region, raising fears of a renewed conflict between local fighters and federal troops.
The fighting has drawn concerns from the African Union, which called on "all parties to exercise maximum restraint".
In a letter to the AU, the TPLF said it endorsed "the call for restraint and dialogue", adding that it was ready "to engage constructively in any dialogue initiative facilitated by the African Union".
UN monitoring situation
This comes after two drone attacks in central Tigray on Saturday morning targeted trucks and killed a driver, according to Dimtsi Woyane television, a media outlet close to the Tigrayan authorities.
The fresh clashes come barely three years after the volatile region emerged from a brutal war between Ethiopian forces and TPLF that the AU says killed at least 600,000 people.
Flights to Tigray have been suspended since Thursday following the recent clashes.
Ethiopia's federal army has yet to respond to AFP requests for comment on the situation in the region.
A statement from the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres's office said he was "closely following" developments in the region.
Ties with Eritrea claims
"He is deeply concerned about the potential impact on civilians and the risk of a return to a wider conflict in a region still working to rebuild and recover," the statement added.
Guterres called on "all parties to exercise restraint", said the statement.
The European Union also warned on Saturday that any renewed conflict would have "serious consequences for civilians and regional stability".
Tension has been brewing in northern Ethiopia for several months as Amhara and Eritrean forces remain present in violation of the peace deal.
Last year, the head of Tigray's interim administration established by Addis Ababa was forced to flee Mekele, the regional capital, amid growing divisions within the TPLF.
Addis Ababa accuses the group of forging ties with neighbouring Eritrea and "actively preparing to wage war against Ethiopia".
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