US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has expressed concerns about ethnic tensions in Ethiopia, urging the country to address what he says is an impending humanitarian disaster in the northern region of Tigray.
In a phone call with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, he said all troops from neighbouring Eritrea should be withdrawn immediately in a verifiable manner.
State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said that during the conversation with Abiy, the secretary of state had stressed his support for Ethiopia, but also expressed concerns about human rights abuses in Tigray.
He said although the Eritrean government had said that it would withdraw its troops from Tigray, it had yet to be implemented in practice, adding that any such withdrawal must be immediate and verifiable,” he said.
Blinken’s comments may dampen the mood inside the Ethiopian government as they announced the interest of international telecom giants to enter Africa’s biggest untapped market.
The secretary’s comments also serve as a reminder that the conflict in Tigray began almost six months ago and that there still isn’t an end in sight.
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