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Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed accused forces loyal to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front of committing a massacre against civilians in the northern region, which has witnessed the conflict since last week.
Abiy Ahmed said that the Ethiopian federal forces had “liberated” the southern part of Tigray province in “a victory for innocent civilians who were subjected to a brutal massacre in the Mai-Kadra district.”
Clashes broke out between government forces and the TPLF last week.
In a separate statement, the prime minister said that “the bodies of members of the army who were shot while tied hand and foot were found.”
Tigray officials deny the accusations against him in this regard.
Eyewitnesses blamed forces loyal to the TPLF for the killings.
What did Amnesty International say?
“Tens, possibly hundreds” of civilians were killed in a “massacre” in the context of the conflict in Tigray, in northern Ethiopia, on Monday night, Amnesty International said.
These would be the first large-scale civilian deaths in the conflict, if these reports are confirmed.
And obtaining information became difficult with the disruption of telephone lines and the Internet.
There was tension for a long time between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, which controls the northernmost state, before the matter escalated into military clashes that included government forces launching airstrikes.
As a result, thousands of civilians crossed into Sudan, which he says will host them in a refugee camp.
Who are the victims?
Amnesty said in a statement that it could confirm that “dozens, possibly hundreds, were stabbed to death in the town of Mai Kadra, southwest of Tigray, Ethiopia, on the night of November 9.”
Image posted, Reuters
Forces loyal to the Ethiopian government en route to confront the Tigray People’s Liberation Front
The human rights organization confirmed that it “digitally verified horrifying photos and videos of corpses scattered around the city or carried on stretchers.”
Amnesty International said the victims appeared to be workers who were not involved in the conflict.
Deprose Muchena, East and Southern Africa Director at Amnesty International, described the incident as a “terrible tragedy” and called on the government to reestablish contacts and allow monitors access to conflict zones.
Amnesty said witnesses reported injuries “caused by sharp weapons such as knives and machetes.”
Some witnesses said that forces loyal to the TPLF carried out the attacks after they were defeated by federal forces in the “Lugdi” region.
The United Nations said vital aid supplies for hundreds of thousands of people in northern Ethiopia are threatened by the conflict there.
What is the background?
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered government forces to engage forces loyal to the TPLF on November 4 after he said army camps had come under fire.
Since then, there have been several clashes and airstrikes.
On Thursday, Abiy Ahmed said that government forces had made significant progress.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of the Tigrayans was the strongest member of the ruling coalition in Ethiopia for many years, but Abiy worked to curb its influence after coming to power in 2018, while the TPLF refused to join a party. United.
The Tigrayans say they have been unjustly targeted through purges and accusations of corruption.
Abiy Ahmed accuses some of the leaders of the Popular Liberation Front for the Liberation of the Tigrayans of being “fugitives” and opposes their movements to reform the way Ethiopia is run.
