Biden urges ceasefire, end to ‘large-scale abuses’ in Tigray

US president also calls for humanitarian access to Ethiopia’s war-torn Tigray region, and withdrawal of Eritrean and Amhara forces.

United States President Joe Biden has called for a ceasefire and end to “large-scale human rights abuses” in Ethiopia’s war-torn Tigray region, just days after the US imposed visa restrictions on Ethiopian and Eritrean officials accused of furthering the ongoing conflict. In a statement on Wednesday, Biden said he was “deeply concerned” by escalating violence in Tigray and “the hardening of regional and ethnic divisions” in several parts of the country. “The large-scale human rights abuses taking place in Tigray, including widespread sexual violence, are unacceptable and must end,” he said.