The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) says Eritrean forces have continued conducting widespread atrocities in Tigray after the permanent cessation of hostilities is signed in Pretoria.
“The dictator Esayas Afeworki who is displeased by the peace deal is conducting relentless perpetration on our people by even bringing in additional troops when he is expected to withdraw its forces,” TPLF said in a statement.
The statement issued by TPLF stated that the Eritrean forces are committing sexual abuse of women, mass civilian killings, demolition of heritages, and looting properties of the Tigray region while destroying what they can’t transport away.
Getachew Reda, a member of the TPLF central committee, mentioned the Eritrean forces are carrying out the alleged widespread atrocities in his interview with the BBC and said that there will be no disarmament of Tigrayan forces as long as there is a presence of Eritrean forces in Tigray.
Dimtsi Weyane (DW), a TPLF-affiliated regional media, also claimed that its international sources confirmed Eritrean forces dismantled & took the oxygen plant of St Mary Hospital of Aksum along with pillaging of Egela-Tigrai water system infrastructure.
The Ethiopian government and TPLF signed a permanent cessation of hostilities peace deal in Pretoria on Nov 2 after the two-year-long war. Afterward, representatives and military leaders of the two parties met in Nairobi and reached an agreement on the implementation of the peace accord including the disarmament of Tigrayan forces on Nov 12.
The Nairobi agreement stipulates that “disarmament of heavy weapons will be done concurrently with the withdrawal of foreign and non- ENDF [Ethiopian National Defense Forces] forces from the region”.
TPLF implored the Ethiopian government and the international community to enforce the withdrawal of Eritrean forces from Tigray and demanded justice for the atrocities conducted on the people.
“The Tigray government calls upon the international community, especially the African Union, United States, and European Union to take serious measures on the dictator Esayas Afeworki.”
The Ethiopian government hasn’t issued any public statement in response to TPLF’s allegations so far.
