The US Treasury has imposed sanctions on four entities and two individuals in Eritrea for “contributing to the crisis and conflict” in Ethiopia.

In a statement, the US Treasury Department said it was sanctioning the Eritrean Defence Forces and the People’s Front for Democracy and Justice, as well as other individuals and entities.

For its part, the US State Department indicated that it "remains deeply concerned about the behavior of all parties to the conflict and that Eritrean forces should immediately withdraw from Ethiopia."

"We are not currently imposing sanctions on elements allied with the Government of Ethiopia and the Tigray Liberation Front to allow space and time to see if these talks can make progress," it added.

It also noted that "if the parties fail to make meaningful progress, the United States is ready to impose additional sanctions, including against the Government of Ethiopia and the Tigray Liberation Front."

It is noteworthy that the United Nations warned against the dangers of division in Ethiopia and the confrontations between government forces and the forces of the region.

On Thursday, Ethiopia announced its conditions for possible talks with the Tigray forces, after days of intense diplomatic efforts by international envoys to avoid a new escalation in the fighting.

The Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, accused what he described as "the enemies of Ethiopia" of promoting the collapse of the capital, Addis Ababa, the flight of officials to neighboring countries, and the departure of foreign embassies and missions, creating a state of panic.