UNICEF condemns Ethiopian attack on Tigray which strikes a kindergarten

UNICEF has condemned an air strike by Ethiopian forces in the Tigray region which locals say hit a kindergarten, killing four people including two children.

The attack, on Friday, is the first international confirmation that a Kindergarten was struck after rebel authorities had earlier claimed an aircraft dropped bombs on a residential area in Mekele.

The Ethiopian government rejects the accusations, insisting Ethiopian military aircraft only target "military sites" and accuses the rebels of staging. 

Tigray Television quoted eyewitnesses saying the attack occurred at around 13.00 local time and hit a kindergarten called Red Kids Paradise in the Tigrayan capital.

Fighting resumed on Wednesday in northern Ethiopia between government forces and Tigrayan rebels after a five-month truce.

Both sides accused each other of restarting the war in the early hours of Wednesday after a lull in fighting since June 2021.

The conflict in Tigray, which began in November 2020, has killed thousands.