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Alert and a Call to the World Community: Rescue Tigrayan Civilians from an Open Ethnic Cleansing
Haki Ashenafi. 09.07.21
After the decisive military defeat the Abiy, Isaias and Amhara forces have sustained in Tigray, the despotic regime in Addis, in collaboration with its partners in crime have blocked all routes to Tigray to starve the population to death. The federal and Amhara forces have also deliberately demolished the Tekeze bridge close to Mai-Tsebri. These criminals hindered humanitarian assistance to millions of Tigrayans by barring WFP trucks in the Afar and Amhara regions. The world community is now fully aware of the use of starvation and blockage as methods of warfare against the civilian population of Tigray. The deliberate impediments the Abiy regime is inventing to not allow lifesaving UN flights to Tigray is further evidence that made the regime and its cronies naked before the international community.
The Abiy and Eritrean regimes and their Amhara allies have reinvigorated their ethnic cleansing deeds in some parts of Tigray and other parts of Ethiopia. This note alerts and remind human rights groups, the UN and concerned countries to take action against such colossal collective punishment against Tigrayan civilians who are not taking part in the Tigray defensive war against the genocidal forces. These are well-documented crimes, and are grouped into five items.
First, credible reports are coming from Tigray towns such as Alamata and Kobo that the Amhara forces and their militia have targeted Tigrayan dwellers of the towns, confiscate their property and forcibly evict them to other parts of Tigray under Tigray Defence Forces (TDF) control.
These civilians were only allowed to take the garments they wear at the time of eviction. The Amhara forces have used several trucks to forcibly transfer the civilians from their homes. This practice is also widely reported in other parts of the Amhara region. What is extremely worrisome concerns the forced eviction and abduction of Tigrayans from Humora to Omni-Hajar, the Eritrean border. The whereabouts of those abducted and sent to Eritrea is unknown.
Secondly, the Abiy regime, through his security forces predominantly from the Amhara ethnic group, supported by Eritrean intelligence personnel, are collectively arresting the Tigrayan youth and others in Addis Ababa, Arba-Minch, Nazareth, Harar, Dredawa and others, accusing them of singing and dancing in support of the TDF. They are also closing small and large scale Tigrayan businesses, searching homes and harassing the elderly in their homes and offices, simply because they are Tigrayans. Purges from government offices has surged in the last couple of weeks.
Addis Ababa police stations are now overcrowded by Tigray ID card holders and city residents from the Tigray ethnic group. Most of them are reportedly taken to military camps such as Awash Arba where thousands of Tigrayan have been languishing in the camp since October 2020.
Thirdly, it is widely reported that Tigrayans across Ethiopia has been harassed, terrorised and subjected to deliberate corrupt practices. They have to pay thousands of Birr to get released from police stations for no reason other than wanting to intimidate and weaken them. They are also evicted from their rental or other residential facilities. The harassment includes spouses of Tigrayans from other ethnic groups.
Fourthly, the ethnic profiling and bar on travelling of Tigrayans has now been reinstated after it was slightly eased in the last few months. Ethiopians of Tigray origin who have travelled outside Ethiopia for business, family or personal reasons are now not allowed to enter Ethiopia despite the fact that they are Ethiopian passport holders. Effectively, the Abiy, Amhara and Eritrean officials are rendering them stateless for political reasons.
Finally, all bank accounts opened in Tigray have been blocked in the whole of Ethiopia. University students, traders, those who have travelled for family and personal reasons to central Ethiopia are barred from using their own funds. Clearly, this is an extension of the wider objective of the enemies of Tigray as banking, transport, electricity and telecommunication facilities have been blocked in the whole of Tigray.
These are part of a deliberate policy of the Abiy/Isais regimes. The regime’s leader, Abiy Ahmed blamed the people of Tigray for his stripped military defeat in Tigray. He fabricated lies to justify his Mekelle withdrawal. By doing so, he deliberately exposed all Tigrayans leaving in other parts of Ethiopia to danger and animosity. Further, the deputy mayor of Addis Ababa, Ms Adanech Abebe told a public gathering recently that she and her government won’t tolerate those who support the ‘junta’, a coded name given to all Tigrayans. This practice of collective punishment is thus a state policy which is carried out in a systematic and planned way, with an apparent participation of the Eritrean regime.
This renewed state-sponsored punishment against Tigrayans, in all its forms, constitutes part of the war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide perpetrated by the Abiy, Amhara and Eritrean forces since the start of the Tigray war. The use of starvation and siege as tactics of war is also well known in the international community.
Action required.
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