Thousands of civilians are believed to have died since Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched a military operation against leaders in the Tigray region. CNN has previously reported that soldiers from neighboring Eritrea have perpetuated many of the extrajudicial killings, assaults and human rights abuses in the Tigray region.
“The United States is deeply concerned about the reported atrocities and the overall deteriorating situation in Ethiopia’s Tigray region,” Blinken said in a statement Saturday.
“We strongly condemn the killings, forced relocation and displacement, sexual assault and other very serious human rights and violations by various parties reported by multiple organizations in Tigray.” He added that “those responsible for them should be held accountable.”
Eyewitnesses told CNN that on Nov. 30, a group of Eritrean soldiers opened fire on Maryam Dengelat Church in Dengelat village, eastern Tigray, as hundreds of congregants were celebrating Mass. Dozens of people died of chaos over three days, with soldiers slaughtering local residents, displaced people and pilgrims, they said.
Ethiopia responded to CNN’s request for comment with a statement not directly addressing the attack in Dengelat. Eritrea has yet to respond to a request from CNN for comment.
In a report Friday, Amnesty International charged that Eritrean forces killed hundreds of unarmed civilians in the city of Axum in November through indiscriminate shelling and shootings and extrajudicial killings, which the human rights organization said could be a crime against humanity.
In his statement, Blinken acknowledged the Ethiopian Prime Minister’s commitment to grant humanitarian aid to the region, adding: “The international community must work collectively to ensure that these commitments are met.
“The immediate withdrawal of Eritrean troops and regional Amhara troops from Tigray are essential first steps,” said Blinken, referring to troops from the Amhara state in Ethiopia, which is adjacent to Tigray. “They must be accompanied by unilateral statements of cessation of hostilities by all parties to the conflict and a commitment to provide unopposed aid to those in Tigray.”
Blinken said the US was determined to work with the international community to achieve these goals and that the US Agency for International Development would send a disaster response team to Ethiopia.
“We ask 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 agencies,” he added.
After taking control of the main cities of Tigray in late November, Abiy declared victory, claiming that no civilians had been injured in the offensive. Abiy has also denied that Eritrea soldiers crossed Tigray to support Ethiopian troops.
Barbara Arvanitidis, Nima Elbagir, Bethlehem Feleke, Eliza Mackintosh, Gianluca Mezzofiore and Katie Polglase contributed to this report.