Amnesty International Accuses Eritrean Defense Forces of War Crimes in Tigray Region

In a damning report released today, Amnesty International has accused the Eritrean Defense Forces (EDF) of committing war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity in the Tigray region, both immediately before and after the signing of a Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoHA) between Ethiopia’s federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) in November 2022.

Amnesty International’s investigation sheds light on the dire situation in the Kokob Tsibah and Mariam Shewito districts, which remained under EDF control until January 19, 2023. The report, titled “Today or Tomorrow, They Should Be Brought Before Justice” – Rape, Sexual Slavery, Extra-Judicial Executions, and Pillage by Eritrean Forces in Tigray, outlines horrific acts committed by EDF soldiers, who were allied with the Ethiopian federal government.

The report is based on interviews with witnesses, survivors, and family members who provided harrowing accounts of the atrocities. It details the extra-judicial execution of at least 20 civilians, primarily men, by the EDF in the Mariam Shewito district between October 25 and November 1, 2022.

Survivors of sexual violence and witnesses to the killings reportedly identified the perpetrators through their distinctive camouflage, the Tigrigna dialect spoken by the soldiers, and the nature of their interrogation. Kokob Tsibah and Mariam Shewito, situated near the Eritrean border, made it relatively easy for survivors to identify Eritrean soldiers.

Furthermore, a social worker who documented extra-judicial executions in the district provided a list of more than 100 names of individuals allegedly extra-judicially executed within the same period. Amnesty International acknowledged its inability to independently verify all these cases remotely.

The report reveals a horrifying post-CoHA period, during which EDF soldiers allegedly raped and sexually enslaved women and extra-judicially executed 24 civilians in the Kokob Tsibah district over nearly three months.

The Amnesty International report is expected to escalate international calls for accountability and justice regarding the alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Tigray region, further intensifying the global scrutiny on the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia.