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 committed many of the extrajudicial killings, assaults and human rights abuses in the Tigray region.
After the investigations were released, Ethiopia has come under pressure from the United States to prevent further violence.
US Secretary of State Tony Blinken spoke to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Tuesday “to highlight the United States’ concerns about the humanitarian and human rights crisis in Ethiopia’s Tigray region,” the State Department said.
The Secretary noted the growing number of credible reports of atrocities and human rights violations and abuses and urged the Ethiopian government to take immediate concrete steps to protect civilians, including refugees, and prevent further violence. Hostilities and withdrawal of outside forces from Tigray, including Amhara regional security forces and Eritrean forces, ”said a readout of the call.
“It should be understood that such matters are the sole responsibility of the Ethiopian government, which, as a sovereign nation, is responsible for deploying the necessary security structures and available resources to ensure the rule of law within every corner of its borders,” said the ministry. 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 killings, rape and violence, including those revealed in the CNN investigation.
Eyewitnesses told CNN that in November a group of Eritrean soldiers opened fire on Maryam Dengelat Church in the village of Dengelat, east 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.
Amnesty International charged in its report on Friday 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.
The government of Eritrea has denied involvement in the atrocities reported by Amnesty, but has not yet responded to CNN’s request for comment regarding the Dengelat massacre.
Barbara Arvanitidis, Nima Elbagir, Eliza Mackintosh, Bethlehem Feleke, Katie Polglase and Gianluca Mezzofiore contributed to this report.