The 120-page draft, released on Tuesday by the US-based New Lines Institute, cites numerous, reputable, and extensive studies stating that Ethiopian soldiers and their supporters committed “acts constituting the crime of genocide” throughout the struggle that lasted from 2020 to 22. Ethiopia should be hauled before the International Court of Justice, according to the writers.
The Ethiopian military moved into the country’s north in response to a request for autonomy from the regional government, sparking the start of the Tigray war in November 2020.
The two-year conflict claimed thousands of lives before it was officially declared over in November 2022. Both sides fiercely dispute any accountability for the horrors they have committed, including rape, massacres, and arbitrary detentions.
Nearly a year after the government and Tigrayan regional troops agreed to cease the combat, war crimes and crimes against humanity were still being perpetrated, according to a September 2017 report from the UN.
According to the New Lines Institute assessment, there is now enough proof that Ethiopia committed crimes against the Genocide Convention, such as systematically murdering civilians and using famine as a tactic.
According to the statement, the partnered Eritrean Defence Forces (EDF), the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF), and various other regional militias “possessed the intent to destroy Tigrayans as an ethnic group.”
The report lists at least four acts that qualify as genocide: killing Tigrayans, seriously injuring Tigrayans physically or psychologically, purposefully subjecting Tigrayans to living conditions meant to cause their annihilation, and enforcing laws meant to prevent Tigrayans from having children.
Furthermore, social media messages by “certain individuals” are held accountable for encouraging public genocide.
Ethiopia has vehemently denied that its forces committed war crimes during the battle, accusing them of trying to evade international scrutiny. Such charges against Eritrea, according to the country, are slanderous.
Nonetheless, the recently released analysis, which was produced over the course of two years with the assistance of numerous legal specialists, supports the UN’s conclusions by asserting that there is a “reasonable basis to believe” that the nations are accountable for crimes against humanity and/or war crimes.
The writers conclude by urging the international community to apply pressure to Ethiopia through bilateral ties and by taking the nation to the International Court of Justice.
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