Ethiopian prime minister issues ultimatum

The UN Security Council met on Tuesday over the spiraling conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed gave Tigray’s leaders 72 hours, which end Wednesday, to surrender before a tank attack on the region’s capital city of Mekele, with a population of half a million. The military said it would show civilians no mercy if they didn’t leave the area before the assault.

How are things on the ground? Humanitarian organizations warned that food was running low in the region, and there’s no cease-fire to allow support or supplies in. About 40,000 people have fled across the border into Sudan. It’s unclear how many have died during the conflict.

Dig deeper: Read Onize Ohikere’s report in World Tour on the situation in Ethiopia.