Tigray Civilians Targeted in 'Crimes Against Humanity' - Report

Tigrayans in Ethiopia are facing a relentless campaign of ethnic cleansing being carried out by security forces from the neighbouring Amhara region, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have said.

The two rights groups in a joint report detail how Tigrayan civilians in the disputed Western Tigray Zone of the country are allegedly being killed and subjected to various forms of sexual violence and abuses, including rape.

Some of these Tigrayans also faced mass detentions and forcible movements, a campaign that - along with the other reported abuses mentioned - "amounts to war crimes and crimes against humanity," said the rights groups in a statement.

The report also alleged that newly-appointed officials in Western Tigray and the security forces from the neighboring Amhara region had some support and possible collaborations from the Ethiopian federal forces to carry out the alleged atrocities.

More than 400 people, including Tigrayan refugees in Sudan, were interviewed by researchers from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Tigrayan and Amhara residents who suffered or witnessed abuses were also interviewed.

According to the new report, researchers consulted medical and forensic reports with court documents, satellite imagery, and photographic and video evidence corroborating accounts of grave abuses, reports Isaac Kaledzi for Deutsche Welle.