WASHINGTON: Ethiopia and Eritrea must anticipate further actions from the United States if the termination of the announced hostility does not lead to an increase in the Tigray region, a US State Department senior official said on Tuesday.
Robert Godec, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for the Department of Foreign Affairs bureau, said the Biden government far advanced in his assessment whether to call the incident of humanity, genocide or war crimes.
“Administration in full agreement that terrible atrocities are being carried out in Tigray,” he told the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives.
The former Ruler Tigray Ethiopia said on Monday they again controlled the regional capital of Mekelle after almost eight months of battle, and the government that overthrew them declared a direct unilateral ceasefire.
The development marks changes in conflict that has killed thousands of people, flee more than 2 million and push hundreds of thousands to starving thresholds.
Godec said Washington welcomed the Ethiopian government’s decision to declare temporary goals in hostility, but warned that the United States would watch carefully to determine whether a ceasefire produced changes in the ground.
“We will not stand before the horror in Tigray,” he said, urging the Eritrea government to immediately join the termination of hostility and called on commitment to all parties to a ceasefire negotiated in the region.
“Every effort must be made to make this a ceasefire meaningful, including discussions with all parties in the conflict,” said Karen Bass representative, who confined the African panel subcommittee.
Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee House Greg Meeky said that if the disaster in Tigray did not subside, “we can witness one of our closest and most powerful allies in Africa in March towards the Civil War and, in the end, a country collapsed.” The battle has been interspersed by reports of gang rape and mass murder of civilians.
At least 12 aid workers have been killed.
Last week, Ethiopian military air strikes on a crowded market killed at least 64 people and injured 180.
The doctor said that children were between those who died and injured and that Ethiopian forces prevented the ambulance from reaching the scene for more than one day.
The military said all victims were combatants.
Representative of Michael Mccaul, Republican Party committee, said that in his assessment of genocide actions had been carried out on the population of Tigray and called for targeted sanctions.
State Secretary Antony Blinken said he raised this problem in the group of 20 Foreign Minister’s meeting in Italy.
“I am looking for strong actions to encourage all parties to commit to a ceasefire negotiated to resolve the conflict in Tigray,” he tweeted.