US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called on the African Union to help address the worsening crisis in the Tigray region in northern Ethiopia as he condemned on Saturday the alleged atrocities in the fighting there.
Blinken's referred to the growing frustration with the response of Ethiopia and neighboring Eritrea so far to what the chief US diplomat described as the 'worsening of the humanitarian crisis'.
His comments came after Amnesty International issued a report yesterday accusing Eritrean forces of mass killing in Tigray last year, describing it as a potential crime against humanity.
“The United States is gravely concerned by reported atrocities and the overall deteriorating situation in the Tigray region of Ethiopia,” Blinken said.
“We ask international partners, especially the African Union and regional partners, to work with us to address the crisis in Tigray, including through action at the U.N. and other relevant bodies,” he added.
The federal army led by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ousted the former local ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) from the regional capital of Mikkeli in November, yet, fighting still continues.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced and thousands have died, amid grave concerns over the humanitarian situation for five million Ethiopians, including shortages of food, water and medicine.
Dozens of witnesses, diplomats and an Ethiopian general have reported that the Eritrean troops participated in the conflict, yet, Ethiopia and Eritrea denied.
Meantime, the state-run Ethiopian Human Rights Commission issued a statement on Friday that coincided with the Amnesty report, saying that initial investigations indicated that Eritrean soldiers had killed an unknown number of civilians in Axum, an ancient city in northern Ethiopia, and carried out widespread looting. It said the killings were in response to an earlier attack by TPLF troops.
Blinken recalled Ethiopia's obligations to full accountability, including international support for investigations into human rights violations and unimpeded humanitarian access.
"The immediate withdrawal of the Eritrean and Amhara regional forces from Tigray is essential," Blinken said.
"It must be accompanied by unilateral declarations of a cessation of hostilities by all parties to the conflict and an obligation to allow the unimpeded delivery of assistance to Tigray."
The U.S. Secretary of State Statement:
The United States is gravely concerned by reported atrocities and the overall deteriorating situation in the Tigray region of Ethiopia.
We strongly condemn the killings, forced removals and displacements, sexual assaults, and other extremely serious human rights violations and abuses by several parties that multiple organizations have reported in Tigray. We are also deeply concerned by the worsening humanitarian crisis.
The United States has repeatedly engaged the Ethiopian government on the importance of ending the violence, ensuring unhindered humanitarian access to Tigray, and allowing a full, independent, international investigation into all reports of human rights violations, abuses, and atrocities. Those responsible for them must be held accountable.
The United States acknowledges the February 26 statements from the Ethiopian Office of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs promising unhindered humanitarian access, welcoming international support for investigations into human rights violations and abuses, and committing to full accountability. The international community needs to work collectively to ensure that these commitments are realized.
The immediate withdrawal of Eritrean forces and Amhara regional forces from Tigray are essential first steps. They should be accompanied by unilateral declarations of cessation of hostilities by all parties to the conflict and a commitment to permit unhindered delivery of assistance to those in Tigray.
The United States is committed to working with the international community to achieve these goals. To that end, USAID will deploy a Disaster Assistance Response Team to Ethiopia to continue delivering life-saving assistance.
We ask international partners, especially the African Union and regional partners, to work with us to address the crisis in Tigray, including through action at the UN and other relevant bodies.
The United States remains committed to building an enduring partnership with the Ethiopian people.
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