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A30 world news
Diasabra 4 september 2021

‘We came here crying’: Tigray forces also accused of abuses

(AP) — As they bring war
to other parts of Ethiopia, He did not respond to the
resurgent Tigray fighters AP about the new witness
face growing allegations accounts, but tweeted in re-
that they are retaliating sponse to USAID that “we
for the abuses their people cannot vouch for every unac-
suffered back home. ceptable behavior of off-grid
fighters in such matters.”
In interviews with The As-
sociated Press, more than a The Tigray forces say their
dozen witnesses offered the offensive is an attempt to
most widespread descriptions break the months-long
yet of Tigray forces striking blockade of their region of
communities and a religious some 6 million people, as an
site with artillery, killing ci- estimated 400,000 face fam-
vilians, looting health cen- ine conditions in the world’s
ters and schools and sending worst hunger crisis in a de-
hundreds of thousands of cade. The situation “is set
people fleeing in the past two to worsen dramatically,” the
months. U.N. said Thursday.

In the town of Nefas Mewu- The fighters also say they are
cha in the Amhara region, a have) ... looted the ware- training. Ethiopia’s govern- people in Amhara have been pressuring Ethiopia’s gov-
hospital’s medical equipment houses, they’ve looted trucks ment says “millions” have killed; claims by the warring ernment to stop the war and
was smashed. The fighters and they have caused a great answered the call. sides cannot be verified im- the ethnic targeting that has
looted medicines and other deal of destruction in all the mediately. Each has accused seen thousands of Tigrayans
supplies, leaving more than a villages they have visited,” “Our children are living in the other of lying or carry- detained, evicted or harassed
dozen patients to die. the head of the U.S. Agency terror. We are here to stop ing out atrocities against sup- while the prime minister, a
for Economic Development, this,” said Mekdess Muluneh porters. Nobel Peace Prize winner,
“It is a lie that they are not Sean Jones, told the Ethio- Asayehegn, a new Amhara has used words like “cancer”
targeting civilians and infra- pian Broadcasting Corpora- militia recruit. Propping a Shaken, the survivors are left and “weeds” to describe the
structures,” hospital manager tion. gun on a full plastic sack, she to count bodies. Tigray fighters.
Birhanu Mulu told the AP. lay on the ground and prac-
He said his team had to trans- He called the Tigray fight- ticed sighting. In the town of Debre Ta- Ethnic Amhara, more than
fer some 400 patients else- ers “very aggressive.” bor, Getasew Anteneh said half a million now displaced,
where for care. “Everyone USAID, which feeds mil- But the consequences of the he watched as Tigray forc- say innocent people have
can come and witness the de- lions throughout Ethiopia, call to war are already coming es shelled and destroyed a been killed as Tigray forces
struction that they caused.” has seen Tigray forces loot- home. home, killing six people. move in.
ing and emptying some of its
The war that began last No- warehouses, he said. “As we came here, there were Getasew helped carry away “I’ve witnessed with my own
vember was confined at lots of dead bodies (of de- the dead. “I believe it was a eyes when the (Tigray forc-
first to Ethiopia’s sealed-off While the U.S., United Na- fense forces and civilians) deliberate revenge attack, and es) killed one person during
northern Tigray region. Ac- tions and others urge all along the way,” said Khadija civilians are suffering.” our journey,” said Mesfin
counts of atrocities often sides to stop the fighting and Firdu, who fled the advanc- Tadesse, who fled his home
emerged long after they oc- sit down to talks, those on ing Tigray forces to a muddy In recent interviews with the in Kobo town in July. “His
curred: Tigrayans described the ground believe there’s camp for displaced people in AP, the spokesman for the Ti- sister was pleading with them
gang-rapes, massacres and no peace to come. Many Debark. “Even as we entered gray forces Getachew Reda when they killed him for no
forced starvation by federal Ethiopians outside Tigray Debark, we stepped on a dead said they are avoiding civilian reason.”
forces and their allies from support the federal govern- body. We thought it was the casualties. “They shouldn’t
Amhara and neighboring Er- ment’s war effort, and as Ti- trunk of a tree. It was dark. be scared,” he said last month.
itrea. gray forces advance, families We came here crying.” “Wherever we go in Amhara, Zewditu Tikuye, who also
heed recruiting drives and people are extending a very fled Kobo, said her 57-year-
Thousands of people died, send loved ones for military It is not clear how many warm welcome.” old husband was killed by
though the opaque nature of Tigray fighters when he tried
the war -- most communica- to stay behind to protect their
tions and transport links have home and cows. “He wasn’t
been severed -- means no armed,” she said. Now she
one knows the real toll. shelters with her six children
in a small house with 10 oth-
The Tigray forces retook er people.
much of their home region in
a stunning turn in June, and Others seek shelter in schools,
now the fighting has spilled sleeping in classrooms as
into Amhara. Angered by the newcomers drenched from
attacks on their communities the rainy season arrive. They
and families, the fighters are squat in muddy clearings,
being accused of targeting ci- waiting for plastic plates of
vilians from the other side. the spongy flatbread injera to
be handed out for the latest
The United States, which meal.
for months has been outspo-
ken about the abuses against And as earlier in Tigray, peo-
Tigrayans, this week turned ple in Amhara now watch in
sharp criticism on the Tigray horror as the war damages
forces. religious sites in one of the
world’s most ancient Chris-
“In Amhara now, we now tian civilizations.
know that the (Tigray forces