War crimes: US accuses all sides in Ethiopian conflict

The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, accused all sides in the two-year conflict in Ethiopia of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity on Monday. After a thorough review of the situation, the State Department found various war crimes perpetrated by members of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces, Eritrean Defense Forces, Tigray People’s Liberation Front forces, and Amhara forces, including murder, rape, sexual violence, persecution, ethnic cleansing, deportations, and forced transfers.

During his press conference, Blinken stated that formally acknowledging all of the atrocities committed by all parties is a vital step towards achieving sustainable peace, and those responsible, especially those in command, should be held accountable.

The United States will collaborate with Ethiopia as it implements a transitional justice process for the benefit of all victims and affected communities. Human rights monitors from the United Nations have been invited by the Ethiopian government to confirm that war crimes have ceased.

In recent years, the U.S. government under the Biden administration has taken action against the Ethiopian war by imposing sanctions on Eritrea’s military and political parties in 2021 and withdrawing Ethiopia’s access to the African Growth and Opportunity Act in 2022. The accusations come after the Ethiopian government and Tigray People’s Liberation Front reached an agreement on a cessation of hostilities to end the years-long violence, which led to a humanitarian disaster and a diplomatic rift between the U.S. and Ethiopia.