US President Joe Biden has appealed for a ceasefire and a halt to human rights abuses in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, as his administration steps up pressure to end the conflict there.

President Biden said forces from Eritrea and Ethiopia’s Amhara state must withdraw from Tigray, and that immediate humanitarian access must be granted to avoid widespread famine.

Thousands of people have been killed and many more displaced since the conflict began six months ago.

All sides have been accused of human rights abuses.

An envoy appointed by President Biden, Jeff Feltman, will visit Ethiopia next week to press for dialogue between the warring parties.

Earlier, the UN said it was deeply alarmed at eyewitness reports from Tigray that at least 200 people displaced by the fighting had been rounded up by soldiers and detained.