ETHIOPIA. Addis Ababa: The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has reported that the Eritrean soldiers have killed more than 100 civilians in November 2020, in the Tigray region. The commission launched its investigations that were similar to the Amnesty International and the Human Rights Watch reports.
“During the two days of November 28 and 29 great violations of human rights were committed in Axum. Over 100 residents were killed by Eritrean soldiers. These are crimes against humanity and war crimes,” said the commission in a report. Meanwhile, the commission has asked for further investigations.
The report further said that the witnesses saw Eritrean soldiers shooting at unarmed civilians. They also shot at those who tried to collect dead bodies. Most dead bodies were abandoned in the streets.
The commission also interviewed a witness who saw a 70-year-old man being dragged out of his house and shot dead with his two sons.
Those who were injured during the shooting by the Eritrean soldiers were taken to hospital but died due to shortage of drugs as health facilities were looted.
Ethiopia’s Acceptance
After a long period of denial, on March 23, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed admitted that Eritrean soldiers may have committed atrocities in Tigray.
He is the one who ordered a military attack on Tigray in November 2020 after accusing the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) of attacking his country’s military camps.
Speaking to the country’s parliament Ahmed said war is a “nasty” thing but he hailed Eritrean soldiers for helping his country during the Tigray conflict.
Also Read: US Asks Eritrean Troops To Leave Tigray Region “Immediately”
“They did a great favor to our government and troops. But any damage caused to civilians was unacceptable,” he said in his local language.
He however accused the foreign agencies of propaganda saying nothing is being reported about violence by TPLF. He cited an example of the attack on Mai Kadra town by TPLF which went unnoticed and wasn’t condemned. Meanwhile, the US had called the situation in Tigray ” ethnic cleansing “. Ahmed had declared the Tigray conflict ended in December but there were reports of looting and violence afterward.
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