At eight o'clock in the morning on 12 April, Eritrean troops were passing through the town of Adwa, located in the Tigray region, when they suddenly opened fire on people on the main street near a bus stop. It was thanks to the intervention of the Ethiopian National Defence Forces to repel the attack that the Eritrean soldiers did not kill any more innocent people. However, according to the Reuters news agency, at least nine people have been killed and more than 19 injured. All the wounded, who were shot in their chests, stomachs, legs and hands, including six of them in critical condition, were transported to facilities supported by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to receive medical treatment.
The unprovoked attack shows continued Eritrean military presence in Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray, despite the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed promised that Eritrean troops would have left Tigray. Indeed, Eritrean forces entered Tigray in November to bring support to Ethiopian troops who had been besieged by forces loyal to the regional political party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). It is unclear how many Eritrean soldiers are in the region or whether any have left in recent weeks, still, they were easily identifiable.
Since the beginning of the conflict in November, civilians have blamed Eritrean soldiers for mass killings, looting and gang rapes. According to Amnesty International, those war crimes and human rights violations should be independently and impartially investigated by an international inquiry because Ethiopian people deserve justice and accountability.
To know more, please read:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/14/ethiopian-troops-kill-three-people-in-tigray-rights-group
Author: Eleonora Gonnelli
