Passenger flights between Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, and cities in the northern Tigray region have been cancelled amid fears of a return to conflict, with reports of clashes in one area.
Ethiopia Airlines, which operates all routes in the country, sent passengers a text message about the cancellations citing 'unplanned circumstances'. Neither the airline nor the government has commented further.
A BBC reporter in Tigray's main city of Mekelle confirmed the news from airport staff who had been told not to go to work.
A 2022 peace deal to end a brutal civil war in Tigray has been unravelling as tensions grow over disputed territory and ahead of June's elections.
There are reports of clashes between the federal army and Tigray fighters in Mai Degusha, a contested area in the Tselemti district of western Tigray.
During the conflict, forces from the neighbouring Amhara region occupied the fertile area of western Tigray, which remains a source of dispute.
The government has announced that it will be settled through a referendum, but around a million people fled that area during the war and remain in poor conditions in makeshift camps throughout Tigray, raising questions on whether they will have a voice in the upcoming decision.
Sources report new military movements in southern Tigray, generating further concerns of renewed conflict.
Despite the suspension of flights, buses between Addis Ababa and Tigray are still operational, but may face disruptions in light of the airline's decisions.
Relations between the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and the government have been deteriorating for some time now, complicating recovery efforts after the war that devastated the region.
The African Union brokered the truce between the government and the TPLF, but ongoing disputes suggest that lasting peace remains elusive.
