Ethiopia calls US indictments of war crimes in Tigray “selective” and “untimely”

March 21 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Government of Ethiopia has rejected on Tuesday the accusations made by the United States about the role of the Army, the Eritrean military and special forces from the Amhara region in war crimes in the framework of the two-year war in the Tigray region ( north).

The Ethiopian Foreign Ministry has indicated in a statement that Washington’s statements “do not include new conclusions” regarding those formulated by the joint investigation of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights .

“The Government of Ethiopia does not accept the broad condemnations contained in the statement and does not consider that this unilateral and confrontational position has any value,” he said, before stressing that the United States’ complaints “are selective” and “unfairly attribute blame between the different parties in conflict”.

Thus, it has highlighted that “for no apparent reason, the statement seems to exonerate a part of certain accusations of Human Rights violations such as rape and other forms of sexual violence, despite the clear and overwhelming evidence of their guilt”, in reference to acts committed by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Tigray (TPLF) in the context of the conflict.

Along these lines, he has criticized that the statement has been published “at an inopportune moment”, given that it comes just after the start of the national consultations “to address options on transitional justice, with accountability being one of the pillars”. Of the same.

“This foresees that there will be new investigations into the accusations about the crimes denounced by the (US) statement,” he said, while asserting that Washington’s statements “prejudice national efforts to thoroughly investigate these accusations, whoever is guilty”.

On the other hand, he has denounced that the communiqué published by Washington “is incendiary” and has stated that “whatever the intentions of the US Department of State may be, the communiqué will be used to advance highly polarized campaigns that pit some communities against others in the country”.

“This partisan and divisive stance on the part of the United States is misguided. At a time when Ethiopia is implementing the peace agreement (signed with the TPLF), this blame assignment is unjustified and undermines US support for a process of inclusive peace”, he lamented.

In this sense, he explained that the recent visit to the country by the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, “generated the hope that both countries were destined to mend their bilateral relations”, before showing his wish that “the frank discussions held and the understanding reached (…) help to restore the strategic relations between Ethiopia and the United States”.

“The Government of Ethiopia will continue to implement all accountability measures, including the completion of nationwide consultations on transitional justice and will ensure that justice is served for all victims. Friends of Ethiopia who want to engage constructively in this process are welcome”, he stressed.

Hours earlier, Blinken indicated that the United States has been able to determine that all parties involved in the conflict in Tigray committed war crimes. “As I discussed with both parties during my visit, in order to build lasting peace, there must be recognition of the atrocities committed by all parties, as well as accountability along with reconciliation,” he said.

“The conflict in northern Ethiopia was devastating,” he said, while listing a series of crimes such as the murder of civilians, sexual violence, forced displacement and ethnic attacks. Thus, he outlined that “many of these actions were not random or a mere by-product of the war. They were calculated and deliberate.”

The conflict in Tigray erupted in November 2020 after an attack by the TPLF against the main base of the Ethiopian Army, located in the capital of Tigray, Mekelle, after which the Government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered an offensive against the group.

The outbreak of the fighting came after months of tensions at the political and administrative level, including the TPLF’s refusal to recognize an electoral postponement and its decision to hold regional elections on the sidelines of Addis Ababa.

The TPLF accused Abiy of stoking tensions since he came to power in April 2018, when he became the first Oromo to take office. Until then, the TPLF had been the dominant force within the coalition that has ruled Ethiopia since 1991, the ethnically based Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). The group opposed Abiy’s reforms, which it viewed as an attempt to undermine his influence.