U.S. urges restoration of essential services in Ethiopia's Tigray

FILE PHOTO: Ammunition is seen next to a tank destroyed in a fight between the Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) forces in Kasagita town, Afar region, Ethiopia, February 25, 2022. Picture taken February 25, 2022.REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri/File Photo

(Reuters) - The United States wants the opposing sides involved in conflict in Ethiopia to advance a negotiated ceasefire and for essential services to be restored in the Tigray region, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday.

"We now urge the parties... to seize the opportunity to advance a negotiated ceasefire, including the necessary security arrangements, and call for the restoration of essential services in Tigray on an urgent basis," he said in a statement.