US is 'gravely concerned' by reports of abuses in Ethiopia

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The United States is “gravely concerned by reported atrocities and the overall deteriorating situation” in Ethiopia's Tigray region, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in the toughest statement yet from Washington on Ethiopia's ongoing conflict.

Accounts of atrocities by Ethiopian and allied forces against residents of the country's northern region of Tigray were detailed in reports by The Associated Press and by Amnesty International. Ethiopia’s central government and regional officials in Tigray both believe that each other’s governments are illegitimate after the pandemic disrupted elections.

“We strongly condemn the killings, forced removals and displacements, sexual assaults, and other extremely serious human rights violations and abuses by several parties that multiple organizations have reported in Tigray. We are also deeply concerned by the worsening humanitarian crisis,” said Blinken in a statement issued Saturday.

Those responsible for abuses in Tigray must be held accountable, Blinken added, calling for an independent, international investigation into the reports of human rights violations.