It took three weeks, but the world is slowly learning more about the shocking atrocities in Africa's second most populous country. In the Ethiopian village of Melawi, government soldiers massacred civilians in door-to-door raids, leaving the bodies of the victims on the street.
Government human rights officials have now confirmed that at least 80 civilians were killed in a late January onslaught in the northern region of Amhara, where forces loyal to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmad's government are crushing an uprising. But the actual toll is probably much higher. Some reports estimate that as many as 150 people were killed by the military, including women and children, and at least one pregnant woman.
The only thing more horrifying than the statistical death toll are the shocking accounts of horror by those who survived. One resident who lost a brother in the massacre told the Guardian that soldiers were “breaking into our homes”. [and] The door was broken down in the aftermath of a skirmish between Ethiopian government forces and rebels. He said he was personally aware of at least 45 deaths.
An Orthodox priest who arrived in Melawi on January 30, shortly after the massacre, told a British publication that he saw at least 50 bodies strewn along the village's main road, most of them “a form of execution.” It appears he was murdered.” They had bullet wounds in their heads. ” Like the first witness, this priest's brother was also killed in the army attack, after which his money and mobile phone were stolen.
Credible reporting of these extrajudicial killings by Western media outlets forced the government's Emergency Investigation Committee to acknowledge the incident in Melawi and open an investigation. The investigation comes as U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia Irvin Masinga said the U.S. government is “deeply concerned” by recent events in Amhara and called on the government to “ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice.” It was carried out in response to the
Still, this shocking massacre has so far received little attention from the U.S. media or key policymakers in Washington. This needs to change urgently. The escalation of the Amhara crisis is also an opportunity for the Biden administration, its Western allies, and relief agencies to deliver on the promise of a true partnership in Africa that puts human rights at the forefront.
America, and the world, has been here before. Former President Bill Clinton said that perhaps his biggest regret during his eight years in the Oval Office was the failed intervention in Rwanda in 1994, when between 500,000 and 1 million people were killed by genocidal militias. Ta. “I feel a lifelong responsibility” for the administration's inaction, Clinton said.
Of course, Ethiopia is not immune to humanitarian crises, including the famine caused by the 1984-1985 war, which is remembered in the West for belated relief efforts like the Live Aid concert. Without more aggressive intervention, history may repeat itself, with a series of civil wars and drought exacerbated by climate change accelerating the humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa.
The Amhara region, where the Merawi massacre took place, is ground zero for the current chaos. Abiy's government in Addis Ababa has waged a brutal repressive campaign against civilians in Amhara since last spring, even after rebel-leading forces fought alongside the government to crush another uprising in the Tigray region. ing.
The government declared a state of emergency in Amhara region. Its deadly attacks have been characterized by door-to-door raids, drone attacks on civilians, the destruction of churches and other historic buildings, and the burning of granaries storing vital food supplies. This comes as nascent famine takes hold in rain-starved northern Ethiopia and the cash-strapped Abiy government defaults on its debts.
The Ethiopian crisis could not have come at a worse time for stability in the Horn of Africa. In neighboring Yemen, the conflict between the Houthi rebels and Western countries continues to intensify over attacks on shipping routes stemming from the Israel-Hamas war. If civil war accelerates in Ethiopia, it could throw the entire region into chaos, and hostile insurgent and terrorist states would like to take advantage of it.
The Biden administration, the US Congress, and the United Nations must launch international intervention to end the violence and human rights abuses.
Major humanitarian and relief agencies, including the United States Agency for International Development, must increase emergency aid, especially food supplies, to Amhara and other affected areas. The United States and the European Union need to demand a reliable aid delivery mechanism that operates not only for the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, but also for Protestant and Catholic churches. These organizations demonstrated reliable leadership in providing corruption-free food delivery during the country's 1984-1985 drought.
Finally, the world community must demand an independent investigation into the Melawi genocide and accountability for its perpetrators.
Washington and its allies must use their moral and economic influence to force Abiy's government to lift the state of emergency and withdraw its troops from the region. The bloodshed in Melawi is a warning that Ethiopia is rapidly entering a season of genocide and famine. The world cannot afford to remain silent and watch as Rwanda did with such tragic consequences. International action is needed now.
Mesfin Tegenu is the executive chair of the American Ethiopian Public Affairs Committee.
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