Nairobi: Human Rights Watch (HRW) has stated that the Ethiopian military summarily executed dozens of civilians and committed other war crimes in the northwestern Amhara region earlier this year. HRW, the international non-governmental organisation (NGO), recently urged the United Nations (UN) to establish a thorough investigation into the reports.
According to the latest report released by the New York-based rights group, the incident that took place in the city of Merawi at the end of January was one of the deadliest incidents that resulted in civilian casualties since the battle began between Ethiopian federal forces and the Fano militia in the restive region in August.
Laetitia Bader, deputy Africa director at HRW, stated that, “Civilians are once again bearing the brunt of an abusive army operating with impunity. The Ethiopian armed forces’ brutal killings of civilians in Amhara undercut government claims that it’s trying to bring law and order to the region.”
There were no official statements from the Ethiopian government or the army in response to the recent events in Merawi. However, a different investigation executed by the state-appointed Ethiopian Human Rights Commission estimated that at least 45 people were killed by government forces in the area.
Human Rights Watch conducted its investigation but was unable to determine the exact number of civilian killings in Merawi. Some accounts suggest that the figure could be more than 80. More than a dozen eyewitnesses, including sufferers and their family members, come forward to report the alleged abuses carried out by the army in the city.
HRW analysed and verified videos on social media and satellite imagery that supported witness accounts of the January 29 attack. Rights groups reported that Ethiopian federal forces committed grave abuses.
The NGO called on the African Union to suspend all deployments of these forces to peacekeeping missions until the commanders responsible for these atrocities are held accountable. Testimonies collected by HRW reveal that soldiers shot civilians during house raids and on the streets of Merawi for six hours after Fano fighters withdrew from the area following an attack on Ethiopian forces.
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