Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused the armed forces on every side of the two-year conflict in Ethiopia of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity on Monday.
Blinken said after a careful review of the “law and facts” of the conflict, the State Department found that members of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces, Eritrean Defense Forces, Tigray People’s Liberation Front forces, and Amhara forces all participated in various war crimes. Some of the alleged crimes include murder, rape, sexual violence, and persecution.
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“Formally recognizing the atrocities committed by all parties is an essential step to achieving a sustainable peace,” Blinken said during a press conference. “Those most responsible for atrocities, including those in positions of command, must be held accountable.”
Blinken also accused members of Ethiopia’s Amhara forces of deporting and forcibly transferring people. The accusation included ethnic cleansing in western Tigray, considered a crime against humanity.
Blinken said the United States will work with Ethiopia as it implements a transitional justice process “for the benefit of all victims and affected communities.”
Blinken most recently visited Ethiopia last week, and U.S. officials participated in a workshop on transitional justice with Ethiopian officials and other international specialists.
The Ethiopian government has also invited Human Rights monitors from the United Nations to verify that the war crimes have actually stopped.
The accusations come months after the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front reached a “permanent cessation of hostilities agreement.” The agreement aimed to end the years-long violent dispute, which caused a humanitarian catastrophe and a diplomatic rift between the U.S. and the Ethiopian government.
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Blinken confirmed that the permanent agreement ended the fighting in the African countries and that human rights abuses were significantly down.
The Biden administration cracked down on the war in the past two years. It imposed sanctions on Eritrea’s military and political party in 2021. It also pulled Ethiopia’s access to the U.S. trade program, “The African Growth and Opportunity Act,” in 2022.
