Ethiopia conflict set to escalate after Tigray rebels refuse to withdraw

Government says it will deploy entire defensive capability' and Amhara region threatens attack against Tigray forces

Ethiopia's spreading conflict has escalated after the government warned that it could deploy its entire defensive capability" against the restive Tigray region after advances by rebels into neighbouring regions.

After the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) rebuffed calls on Friday to withdraw from the neighbouring Afar and Amhara regions, the government in Addis Ababa said the rebels were testing its patience and threatening the ceasefire called in June.