US blocks visits from Tigray separatist 'hardliners' as it backs Ethiopian government

The USA has issued travel restrictions for senior members of the Tigray People's Liberation Front and family members.

In a statement, the State Department said that the separatist group was threatening security and peace across the Horn of Africa as a result of its conflict with the Ethiopian central authorities.

The show of support for Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed comes as counting continues in the country's election. Ahmed's Prosperity Party is widely expected to be the clear winner but voters in Tigray were excluded from the poll. That's because of ongoing violence in the northern region.

Although a civil war costing more than half a million lives was officially ended in 2022 through the Pretoria Agreement, instability has continued with rival factions vying for control. The conflict has been exacerbated by tensions between Ethiopia and neighbouring Eritrea.