New research by Human Rights Watch in Ethiopia has exposed how local authorities and Amhara forces are continuing a campaign of ethnic cleansing against Tigrayans in Western Tigray, despite the signing of a truce last November.
Although the term ethnic cleansing is not formally defined under international law, it has been described by the UN as a “purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove by violent and terror-inspiring means, the civilian population of another ethnic or religious group.”
We conducted interviews with 35 people, including witnesses, victims, and aid staff. The picture they paint is bleak: arbitrary detention, torture, death, and the ongoing forced deportation of Tigrayans.
Despite the truce, we found evidence that forced expulsions of Tigrayans has continued, as has harassment and intimidation of Tigrayans. One woman, who fled towards Sudan, said that she was visited in March and told she had to leave “because it wasn’t her land. They would knock at midnight and say Tigrayans can’t come back.”
The report also exposes the appalling treatment Tigrayans suffered while detained. One victim, who was held at Bet Hintset prison in Humera, said “if people got sick, they remained there until they die. Many died due to a lack of food and medication.”
The Ethiopian government has shown little interest in investigating these crimes. Last September they promised to investigate and report back in December. We’re still waiting for that report. We sent them the preliminary findings of this research and have received no reply.
While the EU, US and other governments have said that justice is a priority, they are falling short in efforts to obtain it. Meanwhile, some governments seem to be focusing on normalizing relations with Ethiopia.
As my colleague Laetitia Bader said in the report: “If they (international governments) truly want to see credible rights progress, they should stop overlooking victims’ calls and press Ethiopian authorities to end ongoing abuses.”
