On Thursday, Michelle Bachelet said there was a need for an “independent and objective assessment” of the situation in Tigray, given the “deeply distressing reports of sexual and gender-based violence, extrajudicial killings, widespread destruction and public looting and private property of all parties. “
“Reliable information also continues to emerge about serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law by all parties to the conflict in Tigray in November last year,” added Bachelet.
The UN Human Rights Office said it “was able to corroborate information” about the massacre in Dengelat, along with other incidents, including indiscriminate bombings in Mekelle, Humera and Adigrat.
“A preliminary analysis of the information received indicates that serious violations of international law, possibly in the value of war crimes and crimes against humanity, may have been committed by several actors in the conflict, including: the Ethiopian National Defense Forces, the Front Liberation of the Tigray People, Eritrean Armed Forces and Amhara Regional Forces and affiliated militia, “Bachelet’s office said in a statement.
The Eritrean government has denied involvement in the atrocities reported by Amnesty, but has not yet responded to CNN’s request for comment on the Dengelat massacre.
Thousands of civilians are believed to have been killed since Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched a military operation against leaders in the Tigray region. CNN had previously reported that soldiers from neighboring Eritrea perpetrated many of the extrajudicial killings, assaults and human rights abuses in the Tigray region.
Most recently, the UN Human Rights Office said it had received reliable information from sources about the death of eight protesters by security forces between 9 and 10 February in Adigrat, Mekelle, Shire and Wukro.
More than 130 cases of rape have also been reported in hospitals in the eastern region of Mekelle, Ayder, Adigrat and Wukro between December and January, the UN statement said.
Bachelet called on the Ethiopian government to “grant my Office and other independent monitors access to the Tigray region, with a view to ascertaining the facts and contributing to accountability, regardless of the perpetrators’ affiliation”.
While welcoming the statements of the Ethiopian government on responsibility, Bachelet “urged the authorities to ensure that these commitments are translated into reality and emphasized that the UN Human Rights Office is ready to support efforts to advance human rights.”
Amnesty International joined Bachelet’s call for an independent investigation on Thursday.
“The statement by the UN High Commissioner today underscores the seriousness of the alleged crimes committed by all sides in the Tigray conflict, and the urgency of UN action now,” Sarah Jackson, Amnesty’s deputy regional director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes, said in a statement.
“Given the complexity and gravity of the situation, a UN-led investigation, rather than a joint investigation with Ethiopian institutions, is urgently needed to establish the truth and lay the groundwork for accountability. There is no time to lose – work on it must begin now, before the evidence can be destroyed and the memories start to fade. “
In response to the CNN investigation, the Ethiopian government said it “would continue to bring all perpetrators to justice after thorough investigations into alleged crimes in the region”, but gave no details of those investigations.