United Nations, United States, April 15 2021: Following a US request, the 15 members of the UN Security Council will meet on Thursday to discuss the crisis in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region.

The Council members will hear from UN humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock, who will talk about the continued difficulties in getting aid to refugees, according to the UN. The first official recognition of the cirsis compounded by Eritrea’s military presence in the region, by a UN official was in March when Lowcock called for Eritrea to withdraw its troops from Tigray.

Since then, UN officials in Geneva have accused the Eritrean army of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Tigray. Asmara rejects the accusations. Thursday’s meeting will be a closed-door session similar to the one held to discuss the issue in March. At that time China and Russia opposed adopting a unanimous statement calling for an end to violence in the region since both countries consider the matter an internal Ethiopian affair.

A long standing US all, Ethiopia’s November military offensive launched by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in Tigray has alarmed Washington. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has spoken of “ethnic cleansing” in Tigray, where Eritrean troops also intervened to fight the local ruling party.

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