The United States joined a chorus of international groups and countries raising the alarm about possible ethnic cleansing transpiring in the Tigray-Ethiopian government conflict.
The State Department expressed “grave concerns” Friday about reports of “ethnically motivated atrocities” from Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International and urged both sides of the conflict to cease hostilities against each other.
“The United States reiterates its grave concern over continuing reports of ethnically-motivated atrocities committed by Amhara authorities in western Tigray, Ethiopia,” the agency said. “We urge the immediate release of any such remaining detainees and call on relevant authorities to grant international monitors access to all detention facilities.”
Fighting between the Ethiopian national defense forces and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front rebel group broke out in 2020. TPLF is an ethnic nationalist military group that wants Tigray to be independent of Ethiopia.
More than a million civilians have been displaced during the war and thousands more have been killed. On Wednesday, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International released a joint 240-page report alleging the Ethiopian government has committed ethnic cleansing of Tigrayans from Western Tigray.
The report alleged Ethiopian forces have rounded up thousands of Tigrayans in detention facilities under life-threatening conditions. The groups also accused them of engaging in rape, sexual slavery, and other abuses against the Tigrayans. The State Department backed the report’s call for an independent investigation of the situation. Both groups emphasized Ethiopian authorities have restricted independent access, keeping their activities largely concealed from the outside.
“There must be credible investigations into and accountability for atrocities committed by any party to the conflict as part of any lasting solution to the crisis. We urge the Government of Ethiopia to cooperate with the UN Commission of Experts on Human Rights in Ethiopia,” the State Department implored.
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An estimated 83% of the Tigrayan population is considered food insecure, with about 6 million of its people losing access to money, communication, and other resources during the fighting, according to the World Health Organization. Tigray accounts for about 7 million of Ethiopia’s 115 million population.
