The government has however vowed to "examine" the accusations that include unlawful killings, forceful expulsion, and mass detentions.

The civil war in the country’s north, now in its 17th month, has left thousands dead and millions in need of aid.

The report, which came out following months of research and interviews with hundreds of people, was the not the first to allege grave abuses in Tigray.

It is also not the first report about which Addis Ababa has conveyed discontent.

Amnesty and HRW accused government allied forces from Amhara of waging "a campaign of ethnic cleansing" against Tigrayans with the approval and possible participation of federal authorities.

Without entirely rejecting the claims, the federal government accused the rights groups of overlooking abuses by Tigrayan forces and interfering in its internal matters relating to domestic boundaries.

Ethiopia’s civil war has been marked by allegations of crimes against civilians, in which all warring parties - including the army, its allies from Amhara and neighbouring Eritrea as well as Tigrayan rebels - have been accused by rights groups.