U.S. presses Ethiopia to end Tigray violence, protect civilians -State Dept

U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken pressed Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to end hostilities in the northern Tigray region on Tuesday, citing "credible reports of atrocities and human rights violations and abuses," the State Department said.

"The secretary urged the Ethiopian government to take immediate, concrete steps to protect civilians, including refugees, and to prevent further violence," it said in a statement. The Tigray region's roughly 5 million people are suffering from a war between federal troops and the former local ruling party Tigray People’s Liberation Front.