Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Salih on Monday blamed Ethiopiaโs Tigray Peopleโs Liberation Front (TPLF) rebels for provoking a โmajor warโ in Tigray.
The comment came from Salih during a pre-recorded message to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Listen the video here
Salih also accused the United States and โits European alliesโ of defending the โTPLFโs illicit and dangerous acts of insurrection and mayhem and marshal all the tools at their disposal to rehabilitate it at any costโ.
In May, the US sanctioned Eritreaโs defense chief over the armyโs role in the Tigray conflict.
Ethiopia has accused the United States of meddling in its affairs after Washington announced restrictions on economic and security assistance over Tigray.
In September, US President Joe Biden threatened new sanctions targeting individuals he said were preventing a ceasefire and obstructing the delivery of humanitarian aid in war-torn areas.
War erupted last November after forces loyal to Tigrayโs ruling party attacked a federal army base killing soldiers and looting ammunition.
In late June, the rebels rejected a government-declared ceasefire, launching attacks on the neighboring Amhara and Afar regions where they have been accused of committing massacres.
They have since vowed to topple Prime Minister Abiy Ahmedโs government.
The U.N. human rights office says all sides have committed abuses.
The war has triggered a hunger crisis and threatened stability in Africaโs second-most-populous country.
AP
