WASHINGTON – As the conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region rages on, international observers are sounding alarm bells about the involvement of forces from neighboring Eritrea.

The U.S. State Department says it has received credible reports of looting, sexual violence, assaults in refugee camps and other human rights abuses. It cited evidence that Eritrean soldiers are forcibly returning Eritrean refugees to their home country.

The U.S. administration also said it has received credible reports that Eritrean forces launched artillery attacks from their side of the border in support of Ethiopian government troops fighting forces of the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).

“The United States has stressed the need for all Eritrean troops to leave Tigray immediately,” a State Department spokesperson told VOA this week. “The United States is urging an immediate stop to the residual fighting and full, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access to assist vulnerable populations in Tigray.”