Ethiopian Prime Minister’s national security adviser, Redwan Hussien tweeted that “70% of Tigray is under the Ethiopia National Defence Forces] and that aid was “flowing like no other times” including in areas he said were not under the control of the government’s forces.

The spokesman of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), Getachew Reda, has however denied the claim, the AFP news agency reports.

"He is plucking his facts out of thin air," Mr Getachew is quoted as saying.

Representatives of Tigray and the government in Addis Ababa have been meeting in Kenya this week to discuss the implementation of the peace deal signed last week in South Africa.

The two parties signed an agreement committing to end two years of fighting in Tigray.