US warns of assaults on Eritreans in northern Tigray, Ethiopia

MOGADISHU, Somalia – The United States has raised concerns over attacks on Eritrean refugees in Tigray, adding that “such aggression should end immediately.” A number of Eritreans are living in Tigray after being displaced from their homes.

A spokesperson for the Stage Department said Tuesday that Washington was extremely “concerned” about the attacks, calling them “unnecessary and backward” in a statement.

“We are deeply concerned by credible reports of attacks by military forces affiliated with the Tigray Defense Forces [TDF] and Tigrayan militias against Eritrean refugees in the Tigray region, “State Department spokeswoman Jalina Porter told reporters.

TDF pledged to prosecute Eritrean troops accused of committing genocide in Tigray, which could have informed attacks on refugees. Eritrea borders Ethiopia’s Tigray region to the north and is a close ally of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

In a further sign of the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Ethiopia as violence escalates, the UN refugee agency UNHCR said on Tuesday it was concerned about 24,000 Eritrean refugees in two camps from the Tigray region, claiming that they were deprived of assistance and could lack food and drinking water.

Reports indicate that fighting between armed groups has intensified in and around the Mai Aini and Adi Harush camps, and that two refugees have been killed this month, UNHCR said.

“We call on all armed actors in Tigray to stop the attacks and intimidation against the Eritrean forces and all refugees, asylum seekers and people displaced by the ongoing violence, as well as against humanitarian workers trying to respond to the humanitarian disaster, ”Porter said.

Fighting first erupted in Tigray in November when the government accused the TPLF of attacking military bases across the region – a charge the group denied.

The government declared victory three weeks later when it captured the regional capital Mekelle, but the TPLF continued to fight and has since recaptured most of Tigray.

Ethiopian troops withdrew from most of Tigray in late June when the TPLF retook Mekelle. The central government has declared a unilateral ceasefire on what it called humanitarian reasons, but there are new tensions following Ethiopia’s concerns over the conduct of TDF.

Thousands of people have died in the fighting, around 2 million have been displaced and more than 5 million depend on emergency food aid. The United States has also called on the parties involved to slow down by allowing aid teams to move freely.

AXADLETM