By Daphne Psaledakis and Patricia Zengerle
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A senior U.S. State Department official on Tuesday warned that Ethiopia and Eritrea should anticipate further actions from the United States if the announcement of a cessation of hostilities does not result in improvements in the Tigray region.
The former rulers of Ethiopia’s Tigray said on Monday they were back in control of the regional capital Mekelle after nearly eight months of fighting, and the government which ousted them declared a unilateral ceasefire with immediate effect.
The developments marked a dramatic turn in a conflict that has killed thousands of people, displaced more than 2 million and pushed hundreds of thousands to the brink of famine.
Robert Godec, acting assistant secretary of state for the State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs, said Washington welcomed the Ethiopian government’s decision to declare a temporary end to hostilities, but warned that the United States will watch closely to determine whether the ceasefire results in changes on the ground.
“We will not stand by in the face of horrors in Tigray,” Godec told the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee.
He also urged the Eritrean government to comply immediately with the cessation of hostilities and called for a permanent ceasefire in the region.
It was not clear if other parties to the conflict would accept the ceasefire. The Ethiopian military spokesman, Eritrean information minister and Amhara regional spokesperson all said they were unable to comment.
“Every effort must be made to make this ceasefire meaningful, including discussions with all parties to the conflict,” said Representative Karen Bass, who chairs the panel’s Africa subcommittee.
(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis, Patricia Zengerle and Doyinsola Oladipo)
