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Amnesty International confirmed that it issued a statement on Thursday on reports of the massacre in Mai-Kadra, in what is now known as western Tigray region, which occurred earlier this week.
Citizen reports indicated that the Tigray People’s Liberation Forces carried out what is believed to be a genocide against the ethnic Amhara in Mai-Kadra after losing the battle to Ethiopian government forces. Up to 540 ethnic Amhara people are said to have been massacred.
In a statement issued Thursday, Amnesty International said it has digitally verified the recordings of the victims’ bodies. He did not specify the number of people who lost their lives during the massacre.
Investigation reveals evidence that dozens of civilians were killed in a massacre in Tigray state
Spokespersons available to conduct media interviews
Amnesty International can confirm today that dozens, and probably hundreds, of people were stabbed or hacked to death in the city of Mai-Kadra (May Cadera), in the southwestern part of Ethiopia’s Tigray region, on the night of 9 November. .
The organization’s Crisis Evidence Laboratory has digitally examined and verified horrifying photographs and videos of bodies strewn across the city or carried on stretchers. He confirmed that the images were recent and, using satellite images, geolocated them at Mai-Kadra in the western state of Tigray. (14.071008, 36.564681).
“We have confirmed the massacre of a large number of civilians, who appear to have been day laborers who did not participate in any way in the ongoing military offensive. This is a terrible tragedy whose true extent only time will tell, as communications in Tigray remain closed, ”said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International’s Director for Eastern and Southern Africa.
“The government must reestablish all communication with Tigray as an act of accountability and transparency for its military operations in the region, as well as guarantee unrestricted access to humanitarian organizations and human rights monitors.. However, Amnesty International will continue to use all available means to document and report violations committed by all parties to the conflict.“
The organization has also spoken with witnesses, who were providing food and other supplies to the Ethiopian Defense Forces (EDF), who visited the city immediately after the deadly attack, on the morning of November 10, to find corpses scattered throughout. the city. as well as injured survivors.
Most of the bodies were found in the city center, near the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, and along a road leading to the neighboring town of Humera, according to witnesses and verified images.
People who saw the bodies told Amnesty International that they had open wounds that appear to have been inflicted with sharp weapons such as knives and machetes, reports that have been confirmed by an independent pathologist commissioned by Amnesty International. Witnesses said there were no signs of gunshot wounds.
Witnesses said that together with EDF soldiers, they found some wounded among the dead and took them to nearby hospitals in Abreha-Jira and Gondar, before removing the bodies from the streets..
“The wounded told me that they attacked them with machetes, axes and knives. It can also be said from the wounds that those who died were attacked by sharp objects. It’s horrible and I’m very sad to have witnessed this in my life, ”said a distraught witness.
“Soaked in blood”
Amnesty International has not yet been able to confirm who was responsible for the killings, but has spoken with witnesses who said that forces loyal to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) were responsible for the mass killings, apparently after they suffered. the defeat of the federal FED. cash.
Three people told Amnesty International that survivors of the massacre told them that they had been attacked by members of the Tigray Special Police Force and other members of the TPLF.
“There was a military operation by EDF and the Amhara Special Force against the Tigray Special Police and the militia at a place called Lugdi during the day on November 9. After defeating the Tigray forces, the EDF spent the night outside the city of Mai-Kadra. When we entered, we saw many corpses, soaked in blood, in the streets and rental dormitories frequented by seasonal workers. The view was really degrading and I am still in shock struggling to cope with the experience, “a civilian who entered the city after EDF retake it told Amnesty International.
This was corroborated by another who said: “We went to the city immediately after the army and the Amhara Special Force took control of the city of Mai-Kadra on November 10 around 10 am. The army entered … after surrounding the city during the night. There was no exchange of fire for the army to take over the city. But when we entered the town, what we saw was devastating. The roads were strewn with corpses, especially in the center of town, and on the road that connects the town with Humera ”.
“The Ethiopian authorities must immediately, thoroughly, impartially and effectively investigate this blatant attack on civilians and bring those responsible to justice in fair trials,” said Deprose Muchena.
“TPLF commanders and officers must make it clear to their forces and their supporters that deliberate attacks against civilians are absolutely prohibited and constitute war crimes. All parties to the Tigray conflict must ensure full respect for international humanitarian law and human rights law in their operations. The safety and protection of civilians must be paramount. “
While the official death toll in Mai-Kadra is not yet known, the Amhara regional government media agency AMMA reported that there were around 500 victims, adding that they were primarily non-Tigray city residents. . A man who is helping to remove the bodies from the streets told Amnesty International that he had looked at the state-issued identification cards of some victims, and the majority were Amhara.
Background
On November 4, 2020, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered the Ethiopian Defense Forces (EDF) to engage militarily with the Tigray Regional Paramilitary Police and militias loyal to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) in which he said was a response to multiple attacks by the Tigray Security Forces on the EDF North command base in Mekelle and other military camps in the Tigray region.
Since the beginning of the conflict, there have been armed clashes between the federal forces (Federal Army, Police of the Special Force of the Amhara Region and local militia of Amhara) on the one hand and the regional forces of Tigray (Police and Militia of the Force Tigray Special) on the other side.
The Ministry of Defense and the Prime Minister have announced that Ethiopian Air Force planes carried out multiple air strikes against TPLF military installations. The Prime Minister and the Army Chief of Staff pledged to continue air strikes against selected targets without endangering the lives of civilians, and advised residents to stay away from ammunition depots and other military targets.
According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), as of November 11, some 7,000 refugees had fled from the western state of Tigray to neighboring Sudan.
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