Reports indicate Ethiopia's Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, has vowed to continue with a military offensive in the northern state of Tigray despite international calls for restraint.

This comes after the tension in Tigray heightened on Wednesday when an army base, according to media reports, was taken over by forces loyal to the regional government of Tigray.

The region's ruling party, Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) - which has held power in the state for about 30 years - is accused of launching multiple attacks on the military.

The federal government has declared a six-month state of emergency in the state of Tigray where the airspace has been closed. Reports indicate that national authorities also shut down electricity, telephone and internet services in Tigray.

Tensions between Abiy's government and TPLF, which used to be part of the governing coalition before falling out with Abiy, have been building for months.

The threat of an escalated armed conflict between the federal government and the authorities in Tigray, it is feared, could spill over to the rest of Ethiopia and neighbouring countries.

Earlier, on Tuesday, the federal parliament is reported to have proposed that the TPLF be designated as a terrorist organisation.

An election for the Tigray parliament, in September, in direct defiance of the federal government and electoral board's decision to postpone all elections following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, is considered to be the cause of the recent rapid deterioration. The government described the vote as illegal.