After months of denial from both countries, Ethiopian Prime Minister (PM) Abiy Ahmed finally admitted in a parliamentary speech that Eritrean troops have been present in Ethiopia’s crisis-torn Tigray region since November, when the ongoing conflict first began. PM Abiy said that Eritrean soldiers crossed the border over fears that Tigrayan regional fighters would attack them first. In recent weeks, the atrocities and human rights abuses committed by Eritrean troops have come to light and pushed the Ethiopian government to at the very least concede that they are in the country.
To this end, Abiy said, “After the Eritrean army crossed the border and was operating in Ethiopia, any damage it did to our people was unacceptable,” adding, “Regardless of the TPLF propaganda of exaggeration, any soldier responsible for raping our women and looting communities in the region will be held accountable as their mission is to protect.” He remarked, “We don’t accept it because it is the Eritrean army, and we would not accept it if it were our soldiers. The military campaign was against our clearly targeted enemies, not against the people. We have discussed this four or five times with the Eritrean government.”
However, he left the punishment of Eritrean troops up to the Eritrean government, saying that Asmara has “severely condemned alleged abuses and has said it will take measures against any of its soldiers accused of such”. Moreover, in his speech to parliament he even went as far as to say that Eritrean troops had done a “lasting favour” to Ethiopia and its soldiers.
It is widely accepted that the Ethiopian PM reached an agreement with Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki to work together to defeat the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). However, Abiy has for weeks said that Eritrean soldiers had only ventured into disputed border territories that Ethiopia had already agreed to cede. However, amid rising international pressure and due to the fact that investigations are likely to uncover evidence of Eritrean troop presence, Abiy’s hand may have been forced into admitting more than he earlier wanted to.
In late February, Amnesty International released a report on Friday that claims that Eritrean soldiers “systematically killed hundreds of unarmed civilians in the northern city of Axum on 28-29 November 2020”. Using satellite imagery and the accounts of survivors of survivors and witnesses, the rights group concluded: “The evidence is compelling and points to a chilling conclusion. Ethiopian and Eritrean troops carried out multiple war crimes in their offensive to take control of Axum. Above and beyond that, Eritrean troops went on a rampage and systematically killed hundreds of civilians in cold blood, which appears to constitute crimes against humanity.”
At the time, the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign affairs denounced the report as “incomplete and inaccurate” and “based on unreliable sources”. The government further said, “It should be clear that such matters are the sole responsibility of the Ethiopian government, which as a sovereign nation, is responsible to deploy the necessary security structures and means available in ensuring the rule of law within all corners of its borders.”
Against this backdrop, a number of Western actors, including the United States (US) and the European Union (EU) noted human rights abuses in the Tigray region and demanded an investigation into the matter.
In response, Ethiopia has agreed to the involvement of the United Nations (UN) as well as the African Union (AU) in its investigations of allegations of human rights abuses in Tigray. The state-appointed Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) will now cooperate with UN agencies and experts.
The current conflict first erupted on November 4, when Abiy launched a military offensive against the TPLF for allegedly attacking two military camps in the north and for more generally seeking to undermine democratic rule in the country. The TPLF, for its part, claims that it is merely fighting back against PM Abiy’s moves towards constructing a unitary system of government to replace the current federal system.
Even conservative estimates say that thousands have died and over one million people have been displaced as a result of the months-long conflict. Ultimately, the conflict has not only impacted Ethiopia, but also neighbouring countries. Over 60,000 Ethiopians have already crossed into Sudan, and this number is only expected to rise.
Therefore, Abiy’s admission that Eritrean troops are present in the country and that they could have committed human rights abuses is a welcome development. Coupled with the fact that his government has now agreed to cooperate with international investigators and pave the way to allow humanitarian aid to reach the Tigray region, there is at the very least some hope that the drawn-out conflict could be brought to an end. However, it remains doubtful perpetrators of human rights abuses from all sides of the conflict will be held to account equally.
Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed Admits to Eritrean Troop Presence in Tigray After Months of Denial
Rising international pressure and investigations likely forced Abiy Ahmed to admitting that Eritrean troops have been in the Tigray region since November, when the conflict first began.
March 24, 2021
IMAGE SOURCE: AMANUEL SILESHI / AFP / GETTY IMAGESEthiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed