Sudan’s prime minister, U.S.’s Blinken discuss Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict

Last updated on September 11th, 2021 at 07:56 am

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had a call with Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok regarding the fighting in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region on Wednesday.

Fears remain that the widening conflict will worsen suffering and rip the fragile country apart.

The two men showed concerns over the “expansion of armed confrontation” beyond Tigray’s borders. As per the US State Department, there are reports of Eritrean forces rejoining the conflict.

Tigrayan rebels are on the offensive after a stunning recapture of their northern territory. In November, it was attacked by government troops, forces from neighboring Eritrea, and the ethnic Amhara militants.

Mr Blinken and Mr Hamdok said they encourage the warring forces to lay their guns down, work towards a deal that stops Ethiopia from shattering and grant aid workers access to famine-stricken populations.

During a visit to the region on Tuesday, US aid chief Samantha Power urged Tigrayan rebel forces to “instantly” withdraw from the Amhara and Afar regions. She called for a general ceasefire as a devastating famine looms and displacement continues.

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“All parties must end hostilities to ensure that aid reaches people in need in Tigray,” Ms Power, administrator of USAID, said on social media.

“There isn’t a military solution to this conflict.”

The UN has reported that Tigray has been in the fists of a humanitarian crisis for months, with thousands of people suffering from famine. Access to aid to the northern region remains hindered by delays and bureaucratic hurdles.

The humanitarian crisis intensified this week when Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government refused two aid groups active in Tigray for about three months, accusing them of spreading false information.

Ethiopia said the Norwegian Refugee Council and the Dutch section of Doctors Without Borders had been “distributing misinformation on social media and other platforms”.

The suspension brought condemnation from the US and the UN.