ADDIS ABABA:  Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen met with Jeffrey Feltman, the US Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, to address the present situation in northern Ethiopia.

According to the Ethiopian Government Communications Service, Mekonnen, who is also Ethiopia's Foreign Minister, said that forces loyal to the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) have "continued committing atrocities in the Afar and Amhara regions, causing massive humanitarian and economic damages." According to reports, the Deputy Prime Minister called on the US to compel the TPLF to evacuate its forces from the two regions.

Humanitarian flights would be permitted in Lalibela and Kombolcha, which are held by rebels in the Amhara region, according to Mekonnen. He also stated that 369 humanitarian relief vehicles will be allowed to enter Tigray.

The battle between forces loyal to the TPLF and the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF), which began a year ago on November 4 in Ethiopia's northernmost Tigray province, has extended across neighbouring Amhara and Afar regions in recent months. According to the Ethiopian Government Communications Service, the two officials also discussed the conditions of US citizens in Ethiopia.

Central bank of Indonesia keeps the benchmark interest rate at 3.5-pc

Turkey's interest rates lowered even further, currency falls to new lows

Russia to expand its ties with China, Despite Western interference: Putin