[ad_1]
Thousands of civilians have reportedly been killed since Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched a military operation against the leaders of the Tigray region. CNN previously reported that soldiers from neighboring Eritrea perpetrated numerous extrajudicial killings, assaults and human rights violations in the Tigray region.
“The United States is gravely concerned about the reported atrocities and the general deterioration of the situation in Ethiopia’s Tigray region,” Blinken said in a statement on Saturday.
“We strongly condemn the killings, forced evictions and displacements, sexual assaults and other extremely serious human rights violations and abuses by several parties that several organizations have reported in Tigray.” He added that “those who are responsible for it must be held accountable.”
Eyewitnesses told CNN that a group of Eritrean soldiers opened fire on Maryam Dengelat Church in Dengelat village in eastern Tigray on November 30 as hundreds of worshipers celebrated mass. Dozens of people have died in three days of chaos, with soldiers slaughtering local residents, internally displaced people and pilgrims, they said.
Ethiopia responded to CNN’s request for comment with a statement that did not directly address the Dengelat attack. Eritrea has yet to respond to a CNN request for comment.
Amnesty International accused in a report on Friday that Eritrean forces killed hundreds of unarmed civilians in the city of Aksum in November through indiscriminate shelling, shooting and extrajudicial killings, which the human rights organization said , could constitute a crime against humanity.
In his statement, Blinken acknowledged the Ethiopian Prime Minister’s commitment to allow humanitarian aid to the region, adding: “The international community must work collectively to ensure that these commitments are met.
“The immediate withdrawal of Eritrean forces and Amhara regional forces from Tigray is an essential first step,” said Blinken, referring to the forces of the Ethiopian state of Amhara, neighboring Tigray. “They should be accompanied by unilateral declarations of cessation of hostilities by all parties to the conflict and a commitment to allow unhindered delivery of assistance to those in Tigray.”
Blinken said the United States is determined to work with the international community to achieve these goals and that the United States Agency for International Development will send a disaster response team to Ethiopia.
“We call on international partners, in particular the African Union and regional partners, to work with us to address the crisis in Tigray, including through action at the UN and other relevant bodies,” he added.
After taking control of the main towns of Tigray at the end of November, Abiy declared victory and maintained that no civilians were injured in the offensive. Abiy also denied that Eritrean soldiers entered Tigray to support Ethiopian forces.
Barbara Arvanitidis, Nima Elbagir, Bethlehem Feleke, Eliza Mackintosh, Gianluca Mezzofiore, and CNN’s Katie Polglase contributed to this report.
[ad_2]
Source link