The US State Department has told all American citizens in Ethiopia they should leave “as soon as possible,” as the prospect of wide-scale conflict mounts. The embassies of the U.S. and other countries evacuated all nonessential personnel. This came days after Ethiopia’s government declared a state of emergency, after Tigrayan rebels backed by Oromo fighters marched toward Addis Ababa, seizing two strategic towns less than 250 miles from the Ethiopian capital. On Sunday, Ethiopian authorities organized pro-government rallies attended by tens of thousands of people who pledged to defend Addis Ababa from the rebels.