Ethiopian crisis: US Secretary of State again expresses grave concern about military escalation
Washington, DC, US (PANA) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has again expressed grave concern about the war in Ethiopia and called for urgent negotiations.
A statement by Mr. Ned Price, Spokesperson for the US State Department, said Mr. Blinken was speaking on Friday with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta.
It said: "Secretary Blinken expressed grave concern about worrying signs of military escalation in Ethiopia and emphasized the need to urgently move to negotiations."
The statement said President Kenyatta and Mr. Blinken agreed on the importance of unhindered humanitarian access for all communities affected by the conflict and reiterated their support for an inclusive political dialogue.
President Kenyatta also thanked Mr. Blinken for his "warm and productive" visit to Nairobi on 17-18 November as part of his first official visit to Africa that also took him to Nigeria and Senegal.
The war in Ethiopia has been escalating in recent weeks as the rebels are said to be continuing their march on the capital, Addis Ababa.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed joined the war on the frontline last Tuesday "in the final stages of saving Ethiopia".
The Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) quoted him as saying in a message last Monday that "it is time to lead the country with sacrifice and vowed to lead the army from the battlefront as of (Tuesday)".
Abiy has already declared a state of emergency, called his countrymen to arms, recalled retired soldiers and taken a raft of security measures to halt the advance of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), whose attack on federal forces in the region's capital, Mekelle, on 3 November last year triggered the war.
Thousands of people have been killed, hundreds of thousands displaced while millions are in dire need for food and humanitarian services.
The African Union and the US have been leading diplomatic efforts to end the war but are yet to secure a ceasefire and negotiations for peace.
The US, UK and France are among countries that have asked their citizens to leave Ethiopia with commercial flights while the UN has said it has decided to reduce its "footprint" in the country by temporarily relocating all eligible dependents of staff because of the increasing insecurity.
Meanwhile, the state of emergency command post has warned that action shall be taken against those who are indulged in activities to form a transitional government or any other form of administration outside of the constitutional framework. It gave no details.
The command post said in a statement quoted by the Ethiopian news outlet, Addis Standard, that it is also prohibited to broadcast information about military activities and combat operations by anyone, including civilian and military personnel, other than a body authorized by the command post.
The operation command cautioned the media against "directly or indirectly supporting terrorist groups" using freedom of expression as a pretext.
“The current agenda of all Ethiopians is to save their country,” the statement read, adding: “Every thought and activity must not defy this goal.”
-0- PANA MA/RA 27Nov2021
