On Sunday, Abiy Ahmed gave Tigray's regional army three days - that is, until Wednesday - to capitulate in the war that has flared up in northern Ethiopia in recent weeks.

Then the federal forces take full force the regional capital Mekele, was the message.

Tigray's leader Debretsion Gebremichael dismisses Abiy Ahmed's proposals as fog curtains.

The purpose, Debretsion claims, according to Reuters, is to hide regroupings for the federal forces after losses on several fronts in the war.

The central government has tried to deprive Debretsion of his power as chairman of the Tigrinya party TPLF and regional leader, apparently so far in vain.

"We are a principled people, and ready to die in defense of our right to govern our region," he added in a text message facing the threat of a federal offensive.

Try mediation

The outside world is trying to cool down the situation, and the African Union (AU) has appointed three envoys to try to mediate.

According to the media in Addis Ababa, Abiy Ahmed's spokesman Redwan Hussein says that the Prime Minister is happy to receive the envoys.

No measures are excluded in the conflict, Redwan states, but at the same time says that TPLF is a "gang" that can not be negotiated with.

The trust gap thus seems bottomless, and covers both the whole of Ethiopia and to some extent neighboring countries.

The TPLF was overthrown by dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam in 1991, and the Tigreans have since been a key player in Ethiopian politics - until Abiy Ahmed took over in 2018. He made peace with the TPLF's old enemy Eritrea, and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. .

But with the fight against corruption as an argument, Abiy has also deprived many tigers of power, on such a large scale that observers have warned of an impending ethnic cleansing.

Many people are fleeing

The latest developments also make the UN and aid workers fear the worst, in a conflict that has already triggered refugee flows.

Large crowds of tigers have crossed the border into Sudan and now need urgent help there.

From the Tigray itself, the Ethiopian government has stifled the flow of information since the fighting began.

But hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people are feared killed.

Hundreds have been arrested

All information from the battle area is unconfirmed, but the Addis Ababa government claimed on Monday that the Tigranian forces had destroyed Aksum airport.

It is an important transport hub about ten miles from the regional capital Mekele.

Nearly 800 people have been arrested in Addis Ababa, according to Ethiopian state media on Monday.

According to the police, they have planned "terrorist attacks" on behalf of TPLF.

The arrests have not been commented on by the Tigray management.