US asks Eritrean forces to leave Ethiopia’s Tigray region 'immediately'

The United States ordered that all soldiers from Eritrea should leave Ethiopia’s embattled Tigray region “immediately”. In an email, a spokesperson told the Associated Press that “credible reports of looting, sexual violence, assaults in refugee camps and other human rights abuses”. He added, “There is also evidence of Eritrean soldiers forcibly returning Eritrean refugees from Tigray to Eritrea”. 

UNHCR expresses concern 

Earlier, the head of the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) said that he is “deeply alarmed” by the “overwhelming” reports of Eritrean refugees in the Ethiopian region of Tigray being killed, abducted and forcibly returned to Eritrea. In a statement, Filippo Grandi said that if such acts were confirmed, it would be a major break of international law. He added that the forced return of Eritrean refugees to these camps was also completely unacceptable. 

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The Ethiopian forces have been battling the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) in the region since early November. The government had said that it is in control of Tigray and the conflict is over. However, the TPLF said they are still fighting on various fronts. 

The military confrontation in the region sparked after forces of the ruling TPLF party attacked a military base of the federal forces on November 4, following which, the Ethiopian army launched an offensive. On November 28, in an official announcement, Ethiopia’s army asserted that the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF's) military operations have concluded with the government's "full command" of Tigray, adding, ENDF had managed to rescue thousands of Northern Command officers held captive by TPLF and had taken control of the Northern Command camp.

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TPLF’s repeated military offensives against Ethiopia's ally led to regional instability in the Horn of Africa region. Since the conflict began earlier this month, the telephone and internet lines in the regional state capital of Tigray had been discontinued. As the Ethiopian army entered Tigray, Maj. Gen. Hassan Ibrahim warned that his "armed forces officers will be tasked to hunt down and capture these criminals one by one”.

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(Image Credits: AP)