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| - Eritrea on Friday rejected US claims that its troops were involved in the conflict in neighbouring Ethiopia's volatile northern Tigray region, in a rare public statement from the secretive nation. The US embassy in Asmara on Friday called upon Eritrea "to withdraw its forces from Tigray immediately", adding: "We have conveyed our grave concerns about credible reports of human rights abuses committed by Eritrean forces and other actors." Eritrea's involvement in Ethiopia's brutal three-month-old conflict has been widely documented but is officially denied by both Asmara and Addis Ababa. "Eritrea rejects the unwarranted statement posted on Facebook today by the US Embassy in Asmara and the false and presumptive allegations that it floats," Eritrea's Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel said on Twitter. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced military operations against leaders of the northern Tigray region's ruling party in early November. He said the move came in response to attacks orchestrated by the party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), on federal army camps. The US has for months cited "credible reports" of Eritrean involvement in the conflict alongside Abiy's forces -- reports backed up by accounts from Tigrayans, aid workers, Eritrean refugees in Tigray and even some military and government officials. Abiy declared victory in Tigray when federal forces entered the regional capital Mekele in late November, but the TPLF has vowed to fight on. Thousands have died in the fighting, according to the International Crisis Group, and around 60,000 refugees have streamed across the border into Sudan. Humanitarian and media access to Tigray remains restricted, complicating efforts to get a full picture of the conflict's toll. The humanitarian situation is "extremely alarming," according to a UN situation report published Thursday that highlighted disruptions to food, water, cash, medical care and other services. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Thursday he had spoken with Abiy, the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize winner, "to express concern about the crisis in Tigray and urge safe and unhindered humanitarian access to prevent further loss of life." rcb/np/ach
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