The United States and allies sounded the alarm on Monday over reports the Ethiopian government has unlawfully detained large numbers of citizens on ethnic grounds. “We… are profoundly concerned by recent reports of the Ethiopian government’s detention of large numbers of Ethiopian citizens on the basis of their ethnicity and without charge,” the joint statement issued by the US State Department said. Australia, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom joined the United States in urging the Ethiopian government to “cease immediately” the arrests, saying “many of these acts likely constitute violations of international law.” “Individuals are being arrested and detained without charges or a court hearing and are reportedly being held in inhumane conditions.” The statement cited reports by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and Amnesty International, which “describe widespread arrests of ethnic Tigrayans,” including the elderly and young children.