U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday the United States insists that members of Ethiopia's National Defense Forces, Eritrean Defense Forces, Tigray People's Liberation Front and Amhara forces committed war crimes during the conflict in northern Ethiopia.
Blinken told reporters that members of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces, Eritrean forces and Amhara forces had also committed crimes against humanity, including murder, rape and other forms of sexual violence and persecution.
He said members of the Amhara forces had committed crimes against humanity of deportation or forcible transfer and carried out ethnic cleansing during their treatment of Tigray ethnic Americans in the west of the region.
He added that the Foreign Ministry conducted a "thorough review of the law and facts" and concluded that "war crimes" were committed by the said forces, adding: "We urge the government of Ethiopia and the government of Eritrea as well as the Tigray People's Liberation Front to hold those responsible for these atrocities accountable."
The U.S. stance follows Blinken's visit to Ethiopia last week, where he praised progress in implementing a peace deal in the country, but stopped short of reaccepting Ethiopia into a U.S. trade program.
The Ethiopian government and Tigray forces signed a ceasefire document last November to end a conflict that has killed tens of thousands, thrown hundreds of thousands into hunger and displaced millions.