In the face of apparent pressure from the UN, Ethiopia declared a unilateral ceasefire in Tigray on Monday. This  came even as rebels claimed they had retaken the regional capital of Mekelle.

In a statement, Addis Ababa said it was pausing hostilities to prevent disruptions to the farming season and to allow the distribution of humanitarian aid.

The United Nations has called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss the situation in the country.

The United States, Ireland and the United Kingdom on Monday called for an emergency public meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Tigray, diplomatic sources said, adding that it could be held Friday.

Mekelle fell to the federal army on November 28, three weeks after Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched an offensive after the region’s forces attacked and killed federal troops.

Despite the victory proclaimed after the fall of Mekelle, the fighting never stopped between the pro-Tigray Peoples Liberation Front forces  and the federal Ethiopian Army.

The rebels launched an offensive last week, just as much of the rest of the country was holding highly anticipated national elections, the results of which have not yet been announced.

Tigray, the northernmost region of Ethiopia which shares border with Eritrea, has been in the grip of a destructive conflict for nearly eight months.

Although it was announced as being brief, the military operation launched by Abiy has turned into a long-lasting conflict marked by numerous accounts of abuses against civilians including massacres and rapes.