The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged Ethiopia to address what he described as an impending humanitarian disaster in the northern region of Tigray.

In a phone call with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, he said troops from neighbouring Eritrea should be withdrawn immediately, in full and in a verifiable manner.

He expressed concerns about ethnic tensions elsewhere in the country.

The State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said that during the conversation with Mr Abiy, the secretary of state had stressed his support for Ethiopia, but also expressed concerns about human rights abuses in Tigray.

He said although the Eritrean government had said that it would withdraw its troops it hadn’t actually done so.

“We have heard the Eritrean government’s public statement that it will withdraw its forces from Tigray but that must still be implemented in practice. There is no evidence that such a withdrawal is underway and any such withdrawal must be immediate and verifiable,” he said.

“We also call and continue to call for a withdrawal of Amhara regional forces from Tigray, for an immediate end to the hostilities, all of which are critical to protecting civilians and ensuring unhindered humanitarian access.”