WASHINGTON (US) – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday urged the African Union and other global partners to seek ways to address the worsening crisis in the Tigray region of Ethiopia as he slammed the alleged atrocities in fighting there.
His statement suggested mounting frustration with the response so far from Ethiopia and neighbouring Eritrea to what he described as a “worsening humanitarian crisis.”
This came a day after Amnesty International released a report accusing Eritrean forces of mowing down hundreds of civilians in Tigray in a 24-hour period last year. It called it a crime against humanity.
The accusations were rejected by Eritrea.
“The United States is gravely concerned by reported atrocities and the overall deteriorating situation in the Tigray region of Ethiopia,” Blinken said.
“We ask international partners, especially 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 bodies.”
The federal army of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ousted the former local ruling party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), from the regional capital Mekelle in November. However, sporadic fighting still continues.
While thousands have perished, hundreds of thousands have been forced from home and there is acute shortage of food, water and medicine in the region.
Both Ethiopia and Eritrea deny that Eritrean troops took part in the fighting in the region although several witnesses, diplomats and an Ethiopian general have reported their presence.
The state-run Ethiopian Human Rights Commission came out with a statement on Friday to coincide with the Amnesty report, saying preliminary probe indicated that Eritrean soldiers had killed an unknown number of civilians in Aksum, a heritage city in the northern part of the country in retaliation for an earlier attack by TPLF soldiers.
Amnesty said Eritrean troops killed men and boys in the streets and engaged in extensive looting.