June 21 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Secretary of the United States Department of State, Antony Blinken, has denounced that war crimes have been committed in the conflict in northern Ethiopia and has applauded the commitment of the parties involved in assuming “its devastating consequences”.
“After a careful review of the law and the facts” that have taken place in the country, Blinken has concluded that “the Ethiopian National Defense Forces, the Eritrean Defense Forces, the forces of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Tigray (TPLF) and the Amhara forces have committed war crimes during the conflict in northern Ethiopia,” Blinken said in a press release on Tuesday.
The same statement highlights that these groups have also committed “crimes against humanity, including murder, rape and other forms of sexual violence, and persecution.”
“Men, women and children have been killed. Women and girls have been subjected to horrific forms of sexual violence. Thousands of people have been forcibly displaced. Entire communities have been targeted because of their ethnicity,” Blinken has listed.
The Secretary of State has described the conflict in northern Ethiopia as “devastating” and has pointed out that many of the crimes committed have not been “random” nor a “mere by-product of war.” Many of these actions have been “calculated and deliberate”, he has expressed himself.
However, Blinken has celebrated “the commitment that the parties to the cessation of hostilities agreement have assumed by recognizing the atrocities committed and their devastating consequences” and has urged the governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea and the TPLF to “hold accountable those responsible for these atrocities”.
In this sense, the State Department has applauded the “first steps” –recognition, accountability, reconciliation– of the Ethiopian authorities “to break the cycle of ethnic and political violence that has gripped the country.”
Finally, Blinken has assured that the United States Executive will support Ethiopia while it “confronts the abuses of its past, is accountable for the damage committed against its citizens and moves towards a future of lasting peace.”
