Blinken presses Ethiopia's Abiy to ensure full withdrawal of Eritrean troops from Tigray

FILE PHOTO: Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali delivers his speach during the awarding ceremony in Oslo City Hall, Norway December 10, 2019. NTB Scanpix/Stian Lysberg Solum via REUTERS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Monday and pressed for troops from neighboring Eritrea involved in the Tigray conflict to be withdrawn "immediately, in full, and in a verifiable manner," according to a statement.

The State Department last week said the Washington has seen no evidence of a withdrawal promised by both Ethiopia and Eritrea.