One year after the beginning of the conflict between the Army and rebels of the Tigray Popular Liberation Front (TPLF), with thousands of deaths and countless human rights violations, Borrell dismissed the military solution and urged all parties to cease hostilities immediately.

In a statement, the diplomat said that far from declining, the dispute has worsened and created a “devastating humanitarian crisis that undermines territorial integrity.”

Tigray rebels announced earlier this week that they took control of the cities of Dessie and Kombolcha, in the Amhara region, just 400 kilometers from the country’s capital, Addis Ababa.

Faced with such scenario, the Ethiopian Government responded declaring a state of emergency for six months.

Borrell also expressed the EU’s concern about recent Army attacks in the Mekelle region, the capital of Tigray (north).

The EU is ready to use all its foreign policy tools, including restrictive measures to promote peace, the EU representative said.

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