WASHINGTON, May 14 (Reuters) – The United States is deeply concerned about increasing political and ethnic polarization throughout Ethiopia, the U.S. State Department said on Friday, adding that Washington will work with allies to secure a ceasefire in the Tigray region, provide assistance and hold human rights abusers accountable.

The U.S. Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Jeffrey Feltman returned from a trip to the region on Thursday, where he visited Egypt, Eritrea, Sudan and Ethiopia. The State Department said in a statement that Feltman underscored to Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki the imperative that Eritrean troops withdraw from Ethiopia immediately.

(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis)

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