UN chief urges Ethiopia and Tigray leaders to halt fighting

By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is urging Ethiopia’s prime minister and the leader of its restive Tigray region leader to immediately halt the latest hostilities. The new fighting has been a significant setback to efforts to restore peace and tackle a humanitarian crisis in Tigray. A U.N. spokesman says Guterres called for “the creation of conditions to restart an effective political dialogue” in separate phone calls Thursday with Ethiopia’s leader tand the head of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. Tigray authorities alleged Wednesday that Ethiopia’s military launched a “large-scale” offensive for the first time in a year, while the government countered that Tigray forces attacked first.