Ethiopia warns foreign media over Tigray coverage

Ethiopia has warned foreign media of stringent measures if they continue to refer to the troops in Tigray region as a defence force.

The media regulator said the "characterisation" of the fighters in Tigray as a "defence force" undermined national security.

It says the regional troops cannot be called a defence force as the region is a federation unit of Ethiopia.

The Ethiopian government labelled the former Tigray governing administration, the Tigray People's Liberation Front, a terrorist group.

It says foreign media has continued to allude to a disbanded Tigray regional government - adding that the provisional administration was in charge of the region until elections were held.

The warning comes days after the regulator revoked the licence of one of the newspapers in Ethiopia, Addis Standard, over its coverage of the Tigray conflict.

The national and federal troops in Tigray have been involved in months of conflict that has left thousands dead and millions displaced.

This article was originally published by BBC News. [Photo: AFP]