US urges 'restraint' as Ethiopia's Tigray crisis rocks region

The United States called for "restraint" and "dialogue" as Ethiopia's Tigray crisis pulled in regional neighbours, ahead of a meeting on the conflict on Sunday in Egypt.

The fighting has triggered a breakdown in Ethiopia's relations with Eritrea and Egypt, which it accuses of supporting the rebels who have launched attacks against federal forces, sparking fears of a return to the devastating civil war of 2020-2022.

A diplomatic source told AFP that Sunday's mini-summit would bring together the presidents of Egypt, Eritrea and Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, as well as the head of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, in Alamein, Egypt, on the sidelines of an African Business Forum.

The meeting comes a day after Ethiopian federal forces entered the capital of Tigray state -- long dominated by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) rebels -- according to a humanitarian source.

Residents report that the region's rebels had abandoned the city.

Fighting erupted on September 23 in northern Ethiopia as the TPLF attacked neighbouring states, saying they were once again in a "full-blown war" with the federal government.

Federal forces and pro-government militias have pushed them back in recent days and were heading north towards the regional capital, Mekelle.

The conflict has prompted a regional diplomatic feud, with Ethiopia expelling 10 Eritrean diplomats and shutting its embassy in Asmara on Thursday.

Eritrea, which accuses landlocked Ethiopia of planning to invade and seize access to its coastline, responded that it would "sever all diplomatic ties" with its neighbour.

Ethiopia also expelled an Egyptian diplomat without explanation, prompting a reciprocal move by Cairo.

"Increasing cross-border tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea have the potential to affect the entire region," the U.S. State Department said Saturday in a statement.

"We strongly urge Ethiopia and Eritrea to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of their neighbors, exercise maximum restraint and return to dialogue and cooperation."

The TPLF's leader Debretsion Gebremichael said in a video message on Thursday that "the war is regional and it is a war to control the Red Sea."

AFP