United States ambassador to Ethiopia to visit war-hit Tigray region

The United States ambassador to Ethiopia will visit the war-hit Tigray region on Wednesday.

Thousands were killed and hundreds of thousands have been displaced after a government-led military campaign against regional forces in November last year. 

Last week, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Ethiopia to allow an international investigation into alleged atrocities in the northern region.

The US embassy said in a Tweet it was "committed to providing life-saving assistance to vulnerable populations in Ethiopia".

Access to the region has been limited to aid agencies and foreign bodies. 

The US visit comes as the United Nations agency the IOM said on Wednesday that more than 131,000 people are displaced in 29 accessible locations in Tigray. 

The UN said last month that 521,200 people had been displaced and 61,0011 had sought safety in eastern Sudan.