Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed appointed a new Tigray president, on Friday, while federal forces launched a horrific attack on the leaders of the northern region, whom the government accuses of treason and terrorism.
The announcement came a day after parliament stripped Tigray President Debretsion Gebremichael of immunity from prosecution. Gebremichael was elected in September as head of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF).
However, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called, on Friday, for a comprehensive investigation into possible war crimes in Ethiopia, after reports of a massacre of civilians in the town of Mai-Kadra.
Amnesty International mentioned that it had “digitally verified gruesome photographs and videos of bodies strewn across the town or being carried away on stretchers.”
“If confirmed as having been deliberately carried out by a party to the current fighting,” Bachelet said in a statement. “These killings of civilians would of course tantamount to war crimes.”
She complained at reports that water and electricity supplies had been cut, calling for both sides to begin peace talks, saying “there will be no winner” if the fight continues.
“A protracted internal conflict will inflict devastating damage on both Tigray and Ethiopia as a whole undoing year of vital development progress,” she said.
The United Nations has also announced that more than 15,000 Ethiopians have sought refuge in Sudan within a week.
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