Washington, Oct. 4 -- Amid escalating cross-border frictions between Ethiopia and Eritrea, the United States urged both nations Saturday to exercise "maximum restraint", cautioning that any fresh hostilities risk precipitating an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe across the Horn of Africa.

In an official release, the State Department stressed that the worsening discord carries wide-ranging regional ramifications. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott remarked, "Increasing cross-border tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea have the potential to affect the entire region."

Emphasising the fragility of the area, Pigott added, "The Horn of Africa cannot sustain another military conflict and humanitarian crisis. A conflict jeopardis...