Rebels from the restive Tigray region in northern Ethiopia on Friday rejected US calls to withdraw from neighboring regions, a day after seizing the UNESCO World Heritage site of Lalibela in the Amhara region.

“No such move will take place unless the blockade is lifted,” said TPLF spokesman Getachew Reda, referring to restrictions on humanitarian access.

Northern Ethiopia has been mired in conflict since last November, when Prime Minister Abyei Ahmed sent forces to oust the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, the ruling Tigrayan party that dominated the national political scene for three decades before Abyei came to power in 2018.

The move was in response to attacks carried out by the front against army camps, according to Abyei.

While Abyei vowed victory would be swift, the war took an abrupt turn in June when forces loyal to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front recaptured the provincial capital, Mekele, and withdrew the bulk of the Ethiopian forces.

The Tigray People’s Liberation Front has since moved east towards Afar and south towards Amhara.

Senior US officials, including US aid chief Samantha Power, who visited Ethiopia this week, called on the Tigray People’s Liberation Front to withdraw and all parties to cease hostilities and focus instead on dealing with the humanitarian “disaster” in Tigray.

Residents reported that TPLF fighters entered Lalibela on Thursday without a fight after local security forces withdrew.

The move prompted the Amhara government to warn that the front was moving deep into the Amhara lands, hinting at a possible response.

In turn, Getachew emphasized that Lalibela’s entry was part of an attempt to secure the roads in northern Amhara and prevent pro-government forces from regrouping.

“As you can see, we are under siege,” he said. We will make sure that any means Abyei uses to continue to suffocate our people is not a serious problem.”

He also stressed his position that the Front does not seek to control lands in Amhara and Afar, but rather focuses on facilitating the delivery of aid.

For its part, the government notes that the unilateral ceasefire it announced in late June is to allow aid in and insists that the front’s offensive undermines these efforts.