The conflict has been going on since November in the province of Tigray. This northern region is still plagued by violence between the former TPLF power on the one hand, the federal army, Eritrean soldiers and Amhara’s militiamen on the other. The conflict has killed thousands and caused significant damage. Several abuses have been documented, mainly carried out by the Ethiopian and Eritrean armies whose soldiers are now inspiring terror and anger among the Tigrays.
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Adi Gudem: Soldiers are everywhere on the streets of this town in southern Tigray. The Federal Army has been using it as a base since November. The Eritreans, them, stay there for a few days before leaving. Residents accuse the two contingents of having committed crimes.
“My son returned to the crew when a soldier called him and shot him for no reason. A mother should not bury her child. Since that day, I have barely gone out, says 60-year-old Hira, I get angry every time I see a soldier. If I had been younger, I would have fought them. My second son joined the rebels after his brother died. I could not advise him. Now I’m afraid of losing it too. The military should be exemplary. But these are demons. ”
The soldiers are also accused of removing the residents. Shops in the city were looted and looted. Kendeya owns a store that has been robbed by the military.
“Soldiers came in and broke a window. They stole the cash from the cash register and the SIM cards. One of them pointed his Kalashnikov at my wife and asked her if she wanted to die. He said that our people killed their friends and that this theft was nothing compared to what they could do to us.
Another soldier struck me for no reason. They asked me to knock on the neighbors’ doors so they could enter. I told them I would rather shoot myself than help them kill my people. In the end, they left. We’re always afraid they’ll come back. We have no money in the store and we do not buy any more goods, because they can steal everything. ”
Since the soldier arrived, therefore, the inhabitants live in fear. Fear of being tasked, beaten up, or worse, executed. A group of young people play table football on a shopping street in the city. They are constantly looking around to see if a soldier is coming.
“We are all very scared. When they patrol during the day, they sometimes stop and hit people for no reason. It traumatizes us. They are especially aimed at young people. In the evening, soldiers drink and go door to door to rob people, says Milin, 24. We have the impression that this is a strategy. That they were ordered to terrorize us. When you see Eritreans, the fear is even stronger. Even young girls take refuge in the villages to avoid rape. Everyone is hiding, because we’re all heard what they did in Tigray. It appears that the two forces have made an agreement to destroy the entire Tigray. ”
And as if to illustrate the situation, Milin and his friends suddenly stop their game and run away when two Eritrean soldiers equipped with AK47s cross the street in their direction.
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