Witnesses told CNN that a group of Eritrean soldiers opened fire in November at the Maryam Dengelat church in the village of Dengelat, in eastern Tigray, while hundreds of worshipers celebrated the mass. Dozens of people died in three days of confusion, with soldiers massacring local residents, displaced people and pilgrims, they said.
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, sending troops from the nearby Amhara region. CNN previously reported that soldiers from neighboring Eritrea perpetrated many of the extrajudicial killings, assaults and human rights abuses in the Tigray region.
After taking control of the main cities in Tigray in late November, Abiy declared victory and claimed that no civilians were injured in the offensive.
“They are killing our people in this country, they are killing children, all ages of the population and they are committing rape,” Debretsion told CNN in a telephone interview from an undisclosed location.
“All kinds of acts of genocide were committed in Tigray. Therefore, the most important thing is that an investigation be carried out ”, he added.
“We are asking for an investigation into CNN’s findings in Tigray.”
The Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday rejected an appeal by the United States for the Ethiopian federal government to withdraw forces from Tigray, saying it was “unfortunate” that the US had tried “to make pronouncements on Ethiopia’s internal affairs and , specifically, the reference to the Redistribution of Amhara regional forces. ”
“It must be clear that such issues are the sole responsibility of the Ethiopian government, which, as a sovereign nation, is responsible for implementing the necessary security structures and the means available to guarantee the rule of law in all corners of its borders,” he said. the ministry. said in a statement.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Saturday that the United States is “gravely concerned by the reported atrocities and the general deterioration in the situation” and called on Eritrea and Amhara’s regional forces to withdraw immediately. Blinken’s statement came a day after the CNN investigation, as well as another from Amnesty International, both detailing eyewitness reports of civilian massacres in two separate attacks in late 2020.
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.
Debretsion said he was making an urgent appeal to the Biden government to maintain pressure on the governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea.
“We want to have peace in this region, in this country, that’s why we want [the US] keep pushing [for the withdrawal] of Tigray’s invading forces to prevent atrocities, genocide and destruction, “he told CNN.
“We need, you know, humanitarian aid too … The whole of Tigray is in a social and economic crisis. Our people need help, they need humanitarian aid. So it’s an urgent call. We need this push from [US] President. “
Repeated denials of Eritrea’s involvement
Amnesty International’s report reports that Eritrean forces killed hundreds of unarmed civilians in the city of Axum, also in the Tigray region, in November, through bombing and indiscriminate shooting and extrajudicial killings, which the human rights organization said it could constitute a crime against humanity.
The statement by the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday did not mention the presence of forces from neighboring Eritrea during the recent offensive. He added that he is “fully committed” to investigating any human rights violations. Prime Minister Abiy also denied that Eritrean soldiers crossed over to Tigray to support Ethiopian forces.
Blinken called for a “complete and independent international investigation of all reports of human rights violations, abuses and atrocities”.
“We strongly condemn the murders, removals and forced displacements, sexual assaults and other extremely serious human rights violations and abuses committed by various parties, which various organizations have denounced in Tigray,” he said.
Blinken also acknowledged Abiy’s stated commitment to allow humanitarian aid to the region and said that the United States Agency for International Development would send a disaster response team to Ethiopia. On Monday, the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry said it was working to ensure unrestricted access to Tigray for the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
TPLF troops took power in Ethiopia in 1991 with the support of Eritrea. The leader of the TPLF, Meles Zenawi, became the leader of the nation, with Debretsion serving as his deputy. The TPLF ruled until 2018, when members of the Oromo and Amhara ethnic groups came together against the party. Abiy was named Prime Minister in 2018 and won a Nobel Prize last year for his peace deal with Eritrea.
Violence broke out in the region last year after Tigray started local elections that Abiy’s government banned because of the pandemic.
CNN’s Angela Dewan, Eliza Mackintosh, Emmet Lyons, Bethlehem Feleke, Gianluca Mezzofiore and Katie Polglase contributed to this report.