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The US Secretary of State has expressed concern over the ongoing conflict between government forces and Tigrayan militants.
Secretary of State of the United States Antony Blinken is deeply concerned about the escalation of war in Ethiopia and has called for an immediate end to the crisis, a U.S. State Department spokesman said.
The remarks came at the end of Friday after the passing of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed appeared in the front row and national armies.
“Secretary Blinken expressed deep concern for the alarming signs of an escalation of hostilities in Ethiopia and emphasized the need for urgent dialogue,” Ned Price said in a statement.
Price made the remarks after a phone call between Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and Blinken.
On Friday, Ethiopian government affiliated with Fana Broadcasting reported that Abiy was leading the charge against Tigrayan militants in northeastern Afar.
Abiy posted the same video on his Twitter account.
“We will not be defeated until we bury the enemy,” he said in his written statement, adding that the situation was tense.
The Abiy government has been battling the Tigrayan army for more than a year, in a war that has killed thousands and displaced millions in the second-largest African country.
On Friday, the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) said the number of people in need of food aid in the north of the country had risen to 9 million.
The conflict began in November 2020 when Abiy, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, sent troops to Tigray to oust the region’s ruling Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
The TPLF ruled the federal government for almost 30 years until Abiy took office in 2018.
A few weeks later, government troops occupied Tigray’s capital, Mekelle, which seemed to have won. However, the war continued and by June 2021 the Tigrayan troops did he also took many lands and pushed to neighboring Amhara and Afar.
Tigrayan troops recently also reported significant regional gains, saying this week they seized a town 220km (135 miles) from the capital Addis Ababa. Many areas in northern Ethiopia are being shut down and access to the media is severely restricted, making military statements difficult to verify.
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