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.
After the disclosure of the investigations, Ethiopia was pressured by the United States to prevent further violence.
US Secretary of State Tony Blinken spoke on Tuesday with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed “to emphasize the United States’ concern about the humanitarian and human rights crisis in the Tigray region of Ethiopia”, according to the State Department.
“Noting the growing number of credible reports of atrocities and human rights violations and abuses, the secretary urged the Ethiopian government to take immediate and concrete measures to protect civilians, including refugees, and to prevent further violence. Secretary Blinken pushed for an immediate end to hostilities and the withdrawal of external forces from Tigray, including Amhara’s regional security forces and Eritrean troops, “said a reading of the call.
“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.
In a rare and exclusive interview with CNN, Debretsion Gebremichael, president of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), called for an independent investigation into alleged murders, rapes and violence, including those revealed in the CNN investigation.
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 Mass. Dozens of people died in three days of confusion, with soldiers massacring local residents, displaced people and pilgrims, they said.
Amnesty International accused in its report on Friday that Eritrean forces killed hundreds of unarmed civilians in the city of Axum in November through bombing and indiscriminate shooting and extrajudicial homicides, which the human rights organization said could constitute a crime. against humanity.
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.
CNN’s Barbara Arvanitidis, Nima Elbagir, Eliza Mackintosh, Bethlehem Feleke, Katie Polglase and Gianluca Mezzofiore contributed to this report.