Blinken Urges Abiy for Immediate Ceasefire, Humanitarian Access to Tigray

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, on Tuesday, stressing the need for all parties to secure an immediate and indefinite ceasefire in the northern Tigray region.

"The secretary stressed the need for all parties to the conflict to commit to an immediate, indefinite, negotiated ceasefire," State Department spokesman Ned Price said, in a readout of the call.

"In addition, the secretary emphasized the urgency of holding an inclusive political dialogue to begin the difficult work of forging a lasting resolution to the country’s ethnic and political pisions," Price added.

In the same vein, the spokesman asserted that Blinken urged the PM to ensure unhindered humanitarian access to the war-torn region of Tigray.

During the phone conversation, Blinken called for the complete withdrawal of Eritrean and Amhara forces from Tigray, in addition to "full, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access to populations in need."

Furthermore, the U.S. secretary also denounced "the destruction of bridges into Tigray, and other impediments to access."

The call came on the day the European Union's humanitarian chief Janez Lenarcic condemned Ethiopian authorities for cutting off the region, stressing that humanitarian teams and aid were being "prevented from entering Tigray and from delivering much needed assistance."

The readout did not mention Ethiopia beginning to fill its controversial mega-dam on the Nile River.

However, the spokesman said he is aware that Ethiopia's unilateral move "has the potential to raise tensions."