The UN Security Council has expressed concern about the escalation of fighting in northern Ethiopia and called on all sides to negotiate a lasting ceasefire.
“The members of the Security Council expressed deep concern about the expansion and intensification of military clashes in northern Ethiopia,” the council said in a statement released on Friday.
“They further called to put an end to hostilities and to negotiate a lasting ceasefire, and for the creation of conditions for the start of an inclusive Ethiopian national dialogue to resolve the crisis and create the foundation for peace and stability through the country,” the statement added.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also called the Ethiopian authorities and the advancing rebels of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Tigray (TPLF) to end the internal armed conflict and begin peace negotiations.
“The conflict in Ethiopia must come to an end. Peace negotiations should begin immediately without preconditions in pursuit of a ceasefire,” Blinken wrote on Twitter.
The United States expressed deep concern about the risk of communal violence in Ethiopia. According to the official, the situation is exacerbated by the “bellicose rhetoric” used by all parties to the conflict.
In addition, Blinken called on Ethiopian government forces to end their military campaign and stop air strikes on Tigray.
The Secretary of State also urged the rebels of the PNLF and the Oromo Liberation Front to “immediately stop current advance towards Addis Ababa”. Blinken said that the international community is ready to help the Ethiopian people to end the conflict.
Meanwhile, the US State Department has issued a security alert advising American citizens to leave Ethiopia “as soon as possible” amid the unstable security environment in the country.
“The security environment in Ethiopia is very fluid. We advise US citizens who are in Ethiopia to leave the country as soon as possible,” the advisory read.
The State Department is ready to provide financial assistance to those wishing to leave the country and recommends that they contact the US embassy in the country for more information.