WASHINGTON

The US extended on Friday protections against deportation to Ethiopians residing in the US due to the worsening conflict in the east African nation.

The Temporary Protected Status (TPS) protections will remain in effect for at least 18 months, and in order to be eligible individuals must have lived in the US prior to Oct. 20 of this year.

“The United States recognizes the ongoing armed conflict and the extraordinary and temporary conditions engulfing Ethiopia, and DHS is committed to providing temporary protection to those in need,” said Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement.

"Ethiopian nationals currently residing in the U.S. who cannot safely return due to conflict-related violence and a humanitarian crisis involving severe food shortages, flooding, drought, and displacement, will be able to remain and work in the United States until conditions in their home country improve," he added.

TPS prevents an individual from being deported from the US, and enables them to apply for work permits. The program was designed to provide protections to individuals whose home countries are afflicted by war, natural disasters and other "extraordinary and temporary conditions."

Peace talks between Ethiopia’s government and rebels from the northern state of Tigray will commence in South Africa on Oct. 24 under African Union auspices.

The development comes after Ethiopian forces recently made gains in the Tigray region by capturing key areas, including the strategic town of Shire.

Last Sunday, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front said it was “ready to abide by an immediate cessation of hostilities,” urging the international community to press Addis Ababa “to come to the negotiating table.”

Earlier this week, Redwan Hussien, the national security adviser to the Ethiopian prime minister, rejected recent statements from UN officials, including its chief Antonio Guterres, that the Tigray crisis “is spiraling out of control,” asserting that it was being “extinguished” thanks to Ethiopia’s efforts.

The Tigray conflict has killed thousands and displaced millions more since November 2020.

There has been intense fighting in the northern Ethiopian region since a months-long truce was shattered in late August, with reports of mass casualties and other rights violations.