US piles pressure on Ethiopia and Eritrea to withdraw troops from Tigray

WASHINGTON - The United States has yet again expressed concerns about the ongoing war within the Tigray region, noting that the offensive by Ethiopian and Eritrean troops should be immediately stopped to avoid further destruction in the northern region of the country.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in yet another letter, has asked Addis Ababa and Asmara to abide by previous agreements which he said were binding, noting that the Shire region has been persistently targeted by the forces, leading to loss of lives, particularly the civilian population.

"The United States is deeply concerned over reports of increasing violence, loss of life, indiscriminate targeting of civilians, and destruction in the conflict in northern Ethiopia, particularly around the Shire in the Tigray region," Blinken said in a statement.

"We call on the Ethiopian National Defense Forces and Eritrean Defense Forces to immediately halt their joint military offensive and for Eritrea to withdraw its forces from northern Ethiopia," added the statement, which comes at the time the country is struggling with the second wave of offensive.

Since August, renewed hostilities have left over 50 people dead mainly children and women, with the United Nations Human Rights body saying it has evidence to show that atrocities have been committed in the region. The Right's body maintained that national troops have caused mass murder.

To this end, the United States wants the warring parties to respect human rights especially by halting the ongoing offensive under the pretext of targeting the Tigray People's Liberation Front [TPLF]. The TPLF, which expressed interest to participate in talks, has been accusing Eritreans of committing war crimes in the country.

"We further call on the Tigrayan Defense Forces to cease provocative actions. The fighting since the August 24 operation by the Tigrayan Defense Forces near Kobo in the Amhara Region contributed to the return to hostilities, which greatly increases the risk of atrocities and further human rights abuses," Blinken said.

"It is incumbent on all armed actors to respect and protect civilians, and we call on them to allow unhindered humanitarian access to all Ethiopians in need."

The US further revealed that it's in talks with Tigray and Addis Ababa to push for African Union-led mediation, which was postponed last week. The talks were supposed to take place in South Africa, but Tigray officials and other stakeholders decried of lack of preparedness.

"We reiterate that the government of Ethiopia and Tigray regional authorities should immediately cease all hostilities and participate seriously in the forthcoming African Union-led peace talks," the US noted.

"The United States is fully engaged with the African Union, the governments of Kenya and South Africa, and other international and regional partners to organize and mediate peace talks as soon as possible."

Washington has been pushing for a ceasefire in the two-year-old conflict which has left thousands of people dead and millions displaced. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has been accused of perpetuating the war at the expense of civilians.

GAROWE ONLINE