Ethiopian troops and their allies are waging air and ground strikes against Tigray rebels in the northern region of Amhara.

The bombardments hit several areas of Amhara on Thursday and Friday, humanitarian sources told AFP, amid growing speculation of a major push by government forces against the rebels.

There is a "massive move" against the rebels, said Getachew Reda, spokesman for the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which has been in conflict with pro-government forces in northern Ethiopia for almost 11 months.

The reports come just days after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was sworn in for a new term on Monday, vowing to stand strong and defend "Ethiopia's honor" despite mounting international criticism of the conflict and alarm about the humanitarian crisis it has triggered.

The war erupted in November when Abiy sent troops into Tigray to topple the TPLF, the regional ruling party and former national rulers, a move he said came in response to TPLF attacks on federal army camps.

Although government forces quickly took control of Tigray's cities and towns, the TPLF recaptured most of the region including the capital Mekele by late June.

Fighting has since spread to the neighboring Amhara and Afar regions, and caused what the United Nations has called an "immense humanitarian crisis" with hundreds of thousands of people driven into famine-like conditions.

An untold number of civilians have been killed, nearly two million have been displaced.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the UN's humanitarian agency, has in recent days warned that a lack of medical supplies was also having fatal consequences in Tigray and reported alarming levels of malnutrition among children and pregnant women.

(With input from AFP)