Thousands of civilians are believed to have been killed since Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched a military operation against leaders in the Tigray region. CNN reported earlier that soldiers from neighboring Eritrea had committed many of the extrajudicial killings, assaults and human rights violations in the Tigray region.
Following the announcement of the investigations, Ethiopia came under pressure from the United States to prevent further violence.
US Secretary of State Tony Blinken on Tuesday spoke with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed “to emphasize the United States’ concern about the humanitarian and human rights crisis in the Tigray region of Ethiopia”, according to the State Department.
“In view of the growing number of credible reports of atrocities and human rights violations and abuses, the Secretary urged the Ethiopian Government to take immediate, concrete steps to protect civilians, including refugees, and to prevent further violence. Secretary Blinken insisted on the immediate end of hostilities and the withdrawal of outside forces from Tigray, including Amhara security forces and Eritrean troops, ‘reads a reading of the call.
“It should be clear that such matters are the sole responsibility of the Ethiopian Government, which as a sovereign nation is responsible for establishing the necessary security structures and resources to ensure the rule of law within all corners of its borders,” he said. the ministry said. said in a statement.
In a rare and exclusive interview with CNN, Debretsion Gebremichael, president of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), called for an independent investigation into alleged murders, rape and violence, including those revealed in the CNN investigation.
Eyewitnesses told CNN that a group of Eritrean soldiers opened fire on Maryam Dengelat Church in the town of Dengelat, east of Tigray, in November, while hundreds of congregations celebrated the mass. Dozens of people died in chaos over three days, with soldiers slaughtering locals, displaced people and pilgrims, they said.
Amnesty International in its report on Friday accused Eritrean troops of killing hundreds of unarmed civilians in the city of Axum in November by indiscriminate shelling and shootings and extrajudicial killings, according to which the human rights organization could amount to a crime against humanity.
The Eritrean government has denied involvement in the atrocities reported by Amnesty, but has not yet responded to CNN’s request for comment on the Dengelat massacre.
CNN’s Barbara Arvanitidis, Nima Elbagir, Eliza Mackintosh, Bethlehem Feleke, Katie Polglase and Gianluca Mezzofiore contributed to this report.