Canada is calling on a paramilitary group and the Ethiopian government to cease hostilities in the Tigray region, Foreign Minister Marc Garneau told his Ethiopian counterpart Demeke Mekonnen during a conversation on Friday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th July, 2021) Canada is calling on a paramilitary group and the Ethiopian government to cease hostilities in the Tigray region, Foreign Minister Marc Garneau told his Ethiopian counterpart Demeke Mekonnen during a conversation on Friday.
"Minister Garneau called for the Tigray People's Liberation Front and government forces to cease military action in and around Tigray," Global Affairs Canada said in a readout of the conversation.
Garneau reiterated Ottawa's call for Eritrea, which has sent troops across the border in support of Ethiopian government forces, to withdraw from the region.
Canada's top diplomat also urged his Ethiopian counterpart to secure immediate access for humanitarian assistance in the war-torn region and called for an end to targeted attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure.
The sides to the conflict should engage in talks to bring about a political solution to the crisis, Garneau said.
Clashes in the province of Tigray erupted in November after the Ethiopian government accused the local ruling party - the Tigray People's Liberation Front - of ambushing a regional army post to hijack weapons and arm anti-government militia. The Tigray region has since been occupied by the Ethiopian military, resulting in the fighting with the region's rebels.
