The United Nations spoke about war crimes that may have been committed during the recent military operations in the Tigray region (northern Ethiopia), while Addis Ababa expressed its willingness to conduct independent investigations in this regard.
In a statement today, Thursday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, said that her office has proven a series of serious violations that may constitute "war crimes and crimes against humanity" committed by the Ethiopian and Eritrean forces in the region, which witnessed late last year military operations carried out by government forces, to end what it describes The government rebelled the Tigray People's Liberation Front.
Bachelet added that her office "was able to establish information about some of the events that occurred last November according to the occurrence of indiscriminate bombing operations in the cities of Mekele, Hamira and Adigrat in the Tigray region, and information about serious violations and abuses, including massacres in Axum and Dingilat in central Tigray, by the forces." Eritrean Armed Forces. "
The UN commissioner's statements come amid mounting US and European pressure on the government of Abiy Ahmed to stop what Western capitals describe as atrocities and serious violations against civilians.
The US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called on the Ethiopian Prime Minister to stop hostilities and protect civilians in the Tigray region, referring to reports of atrocities and violations of human rights.
While the UN Security Council is holding a session on Tigray today, Estonia, France, Norway, Britain, the United States and Ireland called on Tuesday for an international investigation into the atrocities that human rights organizations have confirmed that occurred in the Ethiopian region bordering Sudan.
Independent investigations
On the other hand, Ethiopian Foreign Ministry spokesman Dina Mufti said that his country is ready to conduct independent investigations into the crimes committed in the Tigray region.
Mufti added that the Attorney General and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission will conduct - in cooperation with the administration of the region - an independent investigation in this regard.
Earlier, Amnesty International (Amnesty International) reported that Eritrean soldiers fighting across the border in Tigray, during recent military operations, committed a "massacre" that killed hundreds of people and could amount to a crime against humanity.
However, Eritrean Information Minister Yamani Mesqal denied the accusations last Saturday.
Two weeks ago, the Associated Press reported that Eritrean forces committed a massacre of hundreds in the city of Axum, central Tigray.
The region has remained largely isolated due to the Internet being cut off, and difficult to access since the beginning of the conflict, making it difficult to confirm or deny allegations of violence.
Addis Ababa says that its forces control most of the region, and that it is in the process of restoring the infrastructure and providing the necessary aid to the population.