EU chief urges Ethiopia sanctions over Tigray crisis

By Will Ross

The European Union foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, has urged member states to consider imposing sanctions over the crisis in the Ethiopian region of Tigray.

“I believe that the situation in Ethiopia would certainly require that we consider the possibility of all options at our disposal, and this option - the option of restrictive measures - to my understanding, must be on the table,” he said after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

As a result of eight months of war, during which aid has frequently been blocked, hundreds of thousands of people are facing famine.

Mr Borrell said the EU wanted a ceasefire declared by the Ethiopian government to be implemented on the ground.

He said the region was instead being cut off from the rest of the world. Last month rebel fighters retook large parts of Tigray.

The Ethiopian government has been accused of shutting down essential services there - including electricity and telecommunications.

This article was originally published by BBC News. [Photo: AFP]