Mr Abiy added that now was not the time to address the issue of western Tigray which was occupied by forces from the neighbouring Amhara region at the beginning of the war in 2020.

The truce was signed on 2 November following talks brokered by the African Union (AU).

Despite the agreement, humanitarian supplies had not reached Tigray until today, leading to the World Health Organization's chief, Tedros Adhanom, calling for aid to be promptly delivered.

Mr Ghebreyesus added that many people had been dying from treatable diseases and starvation.

A leading aid agency, the International Committee of the Red Cross, today tweeted that their first convoy had reached Tigray's capital, Mekelle, with urgent medical supplies.