Report: Evidence Suggests Ethiopia Committed Genocide in Tigray War

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Facts

  • The New Lines Institute claimed in a new report published this week that evidence currently available reasonably indicates that Ethiopian federal forces and their allies have committed genocide against Tigrayans.1
  • The Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF), along with the allied Eritrean Defense Forces (EDF) and regional militias, are accused of having engaged in several acts constituting the crime of genocide during the 2020-2022 Tigray war.2
  • According to Dr. Azeem Ibrahim of the Institute, these acts include 'killings, the infliction of serious bodily and mental harm, intentional measures to prevent births, and the deliberate infliction of conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of Tigrayans.'3
  • Among the evidence on which the New Lines Institute has relied is a speech in which the social affairs adviser to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed allegedly advocated for genocide against Tigrayans.3
  • The paper, which features contributions from dozens of legal scholars, calls on the international community to pressure Ethiopia via bilateral relations and for the country to be brought before the International Court of Justice.2
  • Both sides in the conflict have been accused of atrocities, with the United Nations warning last September that war crimes and crimes against humanity were still being committed a year after the parties had agreed to stop fighting.4

Sources: 1New Lines Institute, 2Al Jazeera, 3ABC News and 4Commonspace.Eu.

Narratives

  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Jacobin. The US has tacitly enabled crimes against humanity in Ethiopia, and prospects remain dim that anyone will ever be brought to justice as long as they remain in America's good graces. In an effort to strengthen ties with an ally, the US has cynically propped up this regime. Hopefully, the world will hold federal authorities in Ethiopia to account for their crimes.
  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by CNN. The Tigray War was a brutal conflict that tore a nation apart, and it's no secret that every side involved has committed war crimes. Instead of pointing fingers at each other now that peace is holding, Ethiopia must implement a credible transitional justice process to help victims and affected communities. Otherwise, the conflict risks reignition.

Predictions