U.S. advises citizens in Ethiopia to leave immediately due to Tigray conflict

Nov. 5 (UPI) -- The U.S. State Department on Friday warned all American citizens in Ethiopia that they should leave the country as soon as possible due to fighting between government forces and Tigray rebels.

Fighting has been going between the two sides for more than a year and the conflict has killed about 10,000 people so far.

"The security environment in Ethiopia is very fluid. We advise U.S. citizens who are in Ethiopia to leave the country as soon as possible," the U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia said in a statement on its website Friday.

Earlier this week, the department issued a voluntary departure notice of non-emergency government employees and advised citizens against traveling to Ethiopia.

The department listed commercial flight options from Bole International Airport in the capital Addis Ababa and offered financial assistance to return to the U.S.

The findings of a United Nations investigation on Wednesday placed blame on both sides for the conflict, and said numerous human rights abuses have been committed, including some that may be considered war crimes.