U.S. ‘deeply concerned’ over reports of increasing violence in northern Ethiopia

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday that the United States was “deeply concerned” about reports of increasing violence in the conflict in northern Ethiopia.

“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,” Blinken said in a statement.

“We further call on the Tigrayan Defense Forces to cease provocative actions,” he said.

(Reporting by Chris Gallagher; Editing by Sandra Maler)