Ethiopia confirms rapes committed by soldiers in Tigray
The Ethiopian government confirmed on Monday that police officers and soldiers were involved in rapes committed in November in the conflict region of Tigray.
An inquiry recorded 116 testimonies of rape that took place during the military offensive to capture of the town of Axum in November, the general prosecutor said in a statement.
The investigation identified federal police officers and soldiers among the perpetrators, the prosecutor said.
In addition, 93 people were killed during fighting on November 27. The great majority of those killed were fighters of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and not civilians, according to the statement.
Earlier, Amnesty International investigated the incidents in Tigray, recording the names of more than 240 people killed. Amnesty accused Ethiopian and Eritrean troops of committing war crimes.
On Friday, a leader of the Ethiopian church, Patriarch Abune Mathias, spoke of a genocide committed in Tigray in a video message that was smuggled out of the country.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed began a brutal military offensive in Tigray against the TPLF, which had been in power in the region until then, after years-long tensions between the group and the central government.
The fighting turned into a complex conflict, also involving neighbouring Eritrea. The fighting has caused great devastation and hundreds of thousands of people have fled.
Source: GNA