Washington, Oct 23: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres discussed via telephone various opportunities to strengthen the global response to the conflict in northern Ethiopia, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a press release.
“Secretary and Secretary-General Guterres discussed opportunities to strengthen international collaboration to stop the current hostilities, promote negotiations toward a sustainable ceasefire, and deliver life-saving assistance,” Price said in the release on Friday.
Blinken and Guterres shared their concerns about the worsening violence in northern Ethiopia and the humanitarian needs in the region as a result of the conflict.
Earlier on Friday, Price said the Biden administration is fully prepared to impose sanctions on persons preventing a ceasefire in Ethiopia’s Tigray region. He added that the Biden administration is currently working on measures to mitigate any unintended effects the sanctions could potentially have on the Ethiopian people or the region.
The internal conflict in Ethiopia erupted in the Tigray region in November of 2020 as the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), a major local political force, attacked a military base and the Ethiopian government launched a counter-operation.
(UNI)
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