Ethnic Cleansing; Hundreds of Casualities in a Massacre Committed by Ethiopian Army in Tigray [Hashtag]

 

Dozens of activists and people of influence worldwide have expressed their support on social media for the people of Tigray, northmost of Ethiopia, for the sixth day in a row with hashtags like #TigaryGenocides. The tweets expressed deep sympathy for the people of Tigary, after last week's military airstrike on a busy market that has spiked international pressure on Ethiopia all over again.

The airstrike was conducted last week by Ethiopian forces who claimed that it was a “precision strike targeting fighters only,” even though the casualties reached more than 60 dead and 180 wounded, among which were children, according to the Associated Press. Tweets and facebook posts have called for accountablility of Ethiopian Army, and asked for international awareness and support for the war-torn region.

 

 

A Genocide

 

The air strike on Tigray took place on Wednesday, 23 June, 2021, and came amid some of the fiercest fighting in Tigray since the conflict began in November, as Ethiopian forces–backed by forces from the Amhara region and neighboring Eritrea–are hunting former Tigray leaders of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.

© Yasuyoshi CHIBA/ AFP/Getty Images A Togoga injured resident receives medical treatments at the Ayder referral hospital in Mekele, the capital of Tigray region, Ethiopia, on June 23, 2021.

 

On the other hand, Tigrayan International Relations researcher Meaza, who is affiliated with Omna Tigray, an organization that advocates for the end of the war on Tigray, have published a press release that addresses the “Togoga Massacre,” in which Omna Tigray stressed that “the Togoga massacre, killing of MSF staff, and other crimes committed in Tigray are unacceptable and must cease, and a full UN-led and UN-only investigation must be initiated for these recent attacks.” The organization further demanded the international community to impose actions against human rights violations in the northernmost Ethiopian region.

Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and former UNDP Administrator, also called on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to address the horrific killings of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) aid workers in Tigray, which is an international medical humanitarian organization. Clarks proposed that António Guterres, UN’s Secretary General, should “invoke Article 11 of UN Security Council Resolution 2286 on Health Care & Armed Conflict & call Council’s attention to obstruction of medical assistance to populations in need.”

Timely, an investigation for the CNN in collaboration with other researchers showed fresh footage from Mahibere Dego residence from the massacre that took place back in January of this year. The photage confirms an older investigation that shows Ethiopian troops rounding up and shooting a group of men at point-blank range. The investigations revealed at the time that at least 11 unarmed men were executed, while new investigations showed that 36 people were killed, and another 37 people remain missing, indicating the toll of the massacre could have been more than double what was initially reported.

A Humanitarian Crisis

According to the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM), the ongoing conflict in Tigray has displaced over 1.7 million people while hundreds of thousands are in dire need of assistance. Since the conflict broke out in November 2020, IOM has reached close to 500,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) in Tigray and neighbouring regions aid services.

As for the Tigrayans who chose to stay inside the war-torn region, as of June 9, more than 350,000 of them are suffering famine conditions, with millions more at risk, according to an analysis by United Nations agencies and aid groups that blamed conflict for the "worst catastrophic food crisis in a decade."

Ethiopian Ambassador to the U.S. Fitsum Arega said in an interview with the CNN that they are working to prevent famine, and that they "agree that there is a need" in Tigray, claiming that there is rather no actual hunger, condemning the attempts to undermine the government’s efforts.

Humanitarian access has been restricted for a while in the Tigray region. Kenneth Roth, executive director in Human Rights Watch, tweeted back in April about the dire situation of humanitarian aid agencies that are trying to gain access to the region. Executive Director for the UN World Food Programme (WFP) David Beasley has commented on this matter in a new interview with CNN on how desperate he is for access to Tigray.

Condemnation

Frank Langfitt, NPR London Correspondent, has called back in for the G7 members to “pay attention to and act of Tigray fast…we need them to help us get access into Tigray and push for cease fire.” While U.S. Secretary Antony Blinken also tweeted in regards to the conflict in Tigray as negotiations of the recent ceasefire have taken place at the G20 meeting. Other prominent persons have also made comments condemning the latest attack that air-striked the market in the region of Tigray.

Ceasefire

The Ethiopian government announced that it accepted a call for an immediate and unilateral ceasefire in the Tigray region, after nearly eight months of conflict.

Shortly after the Tigray Interim Administration fled capital Mekele, state media published its call for a humanitarian ceasefire to allow much-needed aid to be delivered.

The Ethiopian government statement said the ceasefire “will enable farmers to plow their lands, aid groups to operate without any military movement around them, and to engage with remnants of (former ruling Tigray Party) who seek peace,” adding that efforts to bring former Tigrayan leaders to justice will continue.

Latest news shows that the Tigray People's Liberation Front, which formerly governed the Ethiopian region, declared 100 percent control of the capital, Mekele, amid calls to convene an emergency public meeting of the UN Security Council on Tigray. Getachew Reda, who introduces himself as an “advisor to the president of Tigray state,” have tweeted declaring the loss of Abiy in the war in Tigray and calling on the remaining forces to “hand themselves over or face the full wrath of our gallant fighters.”