“For he who avenges blood remembers.”
[Sep.29.2021]The AP Correspondence reported on September 25 (local time) that as the Tigrai civil war in northern Ethiopia has continued for more than 10 months, there are eyewitness accounts of the brutality of government forces, local militia, and neighboring countries’ allies. Massacres were followed by the Tigrai People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) rebels who opposed them.
One man said he counted 55 corpses as he escaped from his town in northern Ethiopia, stepping over bodies scattered in the streets. Another asserted he was rounded up with about 20 men who were shot in front of him. Yet others claimed Tigray forces went door-to-door, killing men and teenage boys.
The allegations from the town of Kobo are the latest against Tigray forces as they push through the neighboring Amhara region in what they call an attempt to pressure Ethiopia’s government to end a 10-month war and lift a deadly blockade on their own home.
Estimates of deaths range from dozens to hundreds; It is unclear how many died in total or how many were combatants as opposed to civilians, a line that is becoming increasingly blurred.
The Associated Press news agency spoke with more than a dozen witnesses in Kobo during the killings, along with others who have family there. They said the fighting started on September 9 as a battle but quickly turned against civilians.
A health worker who gave first aid to several wounded people said that Tigray forces withdrew from Kobo on September 9 and returned several hours later, once local militia units had run out of ammunition and retreated. “Then the killing started,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.
The acronym stands for the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, which dominated Ethiopia’s repressive national government for 27 years but was sidelined by current Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. In November, what began as a political dispute erupted into war in the Tigray region, with thousands killed.
Tigray forces spokesman Getachew Reda told the AP that the accounts from Kobo “are just a figment of someone’s imagination. “They fought, and our forces had to fight back,” Getachew said.
One resident, Mengesha, said he counted 55 corpses in the town. It was not clear whether they were fighters or unarmed civilians.
Birhanu, a farmer, said he and his friend were walking home on September 9 when they were rounded up with about 20 other men.
“They were shot in front of us,” he said. “The fighters took us to their camp and made us line up and then picked who would be shot. I managed to run away but not without severing two fingers on my right hand.”
Another resident, Molla, said, “(The Tigray forces) were indiscriminately killing people, especially men,” he said. “They dragged them out and killed them while their mothers were crying. They killed my uncle and his son-in-law on his doorstep.”
One shop assistant, Tesfaye, said he locked himself inside his house and counted 50 bodies once the firing stopped.
“I saw many of my friends who were dead on the street,” he said. “I was just crying, and then I went to bury them.” (Source: Yonhap News Comprehensive)
For he who avenges blood remembers; he does not ignore the cries of the afflicted. Lord, see how my enemies persecute me! Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death. (Psalms 9:12-13)
God, may You look upon the people in Ethiopia’s Tigrai region, where the rebels and armed forces are slaughtering the innocent residents. May You let both the rebels and government troops know You as the Righteous Judge so that they will not pursue political power but walk the path that will lead them to life. God, please hear the cries of the people of Amhara who are in fear and shock due to the indiscriminate slaughter of the armed forces. May You grant grace that the civil war will end soon in Ethiopia, and the residents will live in peace under Your care.
Prayer 24·365
prayer@prayer24365.org
