The bodies were strewn with fields and streams of rivers. “CNN” publishes the testimonies of witnesses of the massacre of the Ethiopian Church

Today, CNN released video testimonies of witnesses to the massacre in which the Eritrean soldiers were accused, and explained why Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed made efforts to make peace with Eritrea. Was this peace for an alliance over a common enemy of the race? What do Abiy Ahmed and Eritrea belong to? This is what CNN responds.

The American Network began its report with shocking words about the massacre in a mountainous region north of Tigray, writing: “Abraham began to bury the bodies in the morning and did not finish them until the night closed the curtains … The corpses whose Their owners were covered in white robes, rotting in blood, and scattered across the barren fields. And the river beds swollen and dry.

The network continued to describe the scenes of violence: “Others were shot on the doorsteps of their houses with their hands tied with belts. Among the dead were priests, the elderly, women, entire families and a group of more than 20 students who attended Sunday Schools, some of whom were less than fourteen years old, ”according to Eye witnesses, parents and teachers of these students.

Abraham recognized some of the children immediately because they were from his city, located in the northern Ethiopian province of Tigray, where many fled the fighting there until two weeks before the massacre. As for Abraham, his family and hundreds of other displaced people, they fled to Dungilat, a nearby village located in a rugged valley with steep rust-colored slopes, and in that village Abraham and the displaced in particular sought refuge in a historic location. monastery complex famous for a centuries-old cyst carved into the rock.

On November 30 specifically, dozens of clergymen joined the Orthodox celebration known as “Sion Maryam”, a major Ethiopian Orthodox Christian festival held annually, which Ethiopians consider a holy day, so a group of Eritrean soldiers opened fire against the Maryam church in the village (Dengilat) while it was Hundreds of faithful celebrate at mass, according to eyewitnesses.

People tried to flee on foot and climbed steep paths towards neighboring villages, but the soldiers followed them and shot them at the foot of the mountain.

The investigation published by “CNN” sheds light on what happened after the incident, based on interviews with 12 eyewitnesses, more than 20 relatives of the displaced and photographic evidence.

“CNN” says that the soldiers began knocking on doors door to door and leading its inhabitants outside. Mothers were forced to tie up their children, a pregnant woman was shot and her husband was killed, and some survivors hid under the bodies of the dead.

The chaos lasted 3 days, when the soldiers massacred the local population and the displaced, and finally on December 2, the soldiers let the bodies be buried but prevented anyone from mourning, so Abraham volunteered to do this (bury the dead).

“CNN” says: “Under his watchful eye, Abraham began sorting the bodies of children and adolescents, collecting identification cards from their pockets and taking precise notes on their clothing or hairstyles.”

CNN explained that the church massacre in Tigray is just a group of thousands of civilians believed to have been killed since Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, winner of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for resolving a long-running conflict with Eritrea. , launched an extensive military operation against his country. Political opponents, who ruled the Tigray region for nearly 3 decades before he assumed power in 2018, accused the Tigray People’s Liberation Front of attacking a government military base and trying to steal weapons, which the movement denied, which that makes this ethnic conflict intensify between the two faces one of the fiercest and most intense ethnic-national confrontations. Dangerous in the second most populous country in Africa.

The United Nations Envoy to Prevent Genocide said in early February that the organization had received many reports of “extrajudicial executions, sexual violence, mass arrests, looting and denial of humanitarian aid.” Eritrean soldiers were convicted of these violations. Ground, that the peace that Abiy Ahmed made with Eritrea and received praise for him, was paving the way for an alliance between the two sides to wage war against the Popular Front for the Liberation of Tigray, the common enemy of the Oromo race al that Abiy Ahmed and Eritrea belonged.

In response to a request for comment on the testimonies collected by “CNN” and its investigation, Ethiopia said in a statement that it did not address the attack on Dengelat, that it “will continue to bring all perpetrators to justice after conducting comprehensive investigations into the alleged crimes “.