US State Department spokesman Ned Price said: “We are increasingly concerned about increased military activity in northern Ethiopia. We strongly condemn the resumption of hostilities.”

In a press statement, he indicated that “these actions fall short of the stated desire of both the Ethiopian government and the authorities in the Tigray region to hold peace talks”, noting that the U.S. envoy to the Horn of Africa, Mike Hammer, visited the region. This went on for two weeks, during which he met with Ethiopian government officials and rebels from Tigray, as well as diplomats from the United Nations and the African Union.

Price noted that during the visit, the US ambassador called for an “immediate cessation of military attacks and the conclusion of peace talks” led by the African Union.

The spokesman’s statement came a day after rebels announced they had killed ten people in two Addis Ababa air raids on Mek’ele, the capital of their northern region of the country.

The Tigray area was hit by several air strikes as both sides resumed hostilities on 24 August and the five-month truce between them was broken.