Violence carried on by Tigrayan forces has caused a large number of deaths and injuries. Several attacks have been reported in the last months alone. On 31 August, Human Rights Watch (HRW) informed that Tigrayan forces entered the village of Chenna and fought with Ethiopian federal soldiers and allied Amhara militias. According to witnesses, Tigrayan soldiers executed a total of 23 people in the town of Kobo on 9 September. 

After interviewing the witnesses the HRW reported that some people saw Tigrayan fighters in Chenna and Kobo execute 49 people. In addition, HRW obtained a list of 74 civilians who have been killed in Chenna between 31 August and 4 September. Surviving victims in Amhara said to Amnesty that they have been raped at gunpoint, robbed, and assaulted. In the town of Nifas Mewcha, the fighters destroyed medical facilities. Keeping track of the conflict is turning out to be complicated as journalists and humanitarian aid are often banned.

In November 2021, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) together with Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) released a report into the Tigrayan conflict that details the attacks from all sides. Since Eritrean forces joined Ethiopian-Amhara forces, they have been accused of murders and other violent crimes. Similarly, in the Amhara region, the violence led 3.7 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. Furthermore, more than 400,000 people in the Tigray region are currently suffering from famine.

Lama Fakih, crisis and conflict director at HRW said “These killings and other atrocities by all sides to the conflict underscore the need for an independent international inquiry into alleged war crimes in Ethiopia’s Tigray and Amhara regions".

To read more, please visit:

https://www.theafricareport.com/155703/ethiopia-new-report-reveals-more-killings-in-amhara-region/

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/12/10/africa/tigrayan-force-execution-ethiopia-intl/index.html

Author: Giulia Francescon; Editor: Shrabya Ghimire