Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Monday said he had a telephonic conversation with the United States President Joe Biden about current issues in Ethiopia including the war that has been raging in the northern region of Tigray since November 2020, reported All Africa.
“We both agree there is great value in strengthening our cooperation through constructive engagement founded on mutual respect,” Abiy wrote on Twitter.
He also mentioned that the two of them had bilateral relations and regional matters as well.
According to a statement released by the White House on Monday, Biden raised concerns about civilian deaths in recent air raids in the war-hit Tigray region. He reaffirmed the US commitment to work alongside the African Union and other regional partners to help resolve the conflict.
The US president commended the Ethiopian prime minister on the recent release of several political prisoners.
As per the statement, the two leaders discussed ways to accelerate dialogue towards a negotiated ceasefire, the urgency of improving humanitarian access across Ethiopia.
The conflict in northern Ethiopia that pitted Abiy’s federal forces against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the party that governs Tigray, has killed thousands of civilians and displaced millions so far.
In related news, the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, António Guterres, on Monday said he was deeply saddened by reports that over 50 civilians were killed and injured in an airstrike in northern Ethiopia on Friday.
The attack reportedly took place in a site hosting internally displaced people in Tigray’s Dedebit town. Another airstrike that hit the Mai Aini refugee camp earlier last week also resulted in the death of three Eritrean refugees, including two children.
Guterres also called for an immediate cessation of hostilities against Ethiopians and for all parties to adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law to facilitate humanitarian access and to ensure the protection of civilians.
