Category: Press Release

Omna Tigray strongly condemns the government of Ethiopia’s increased state-sponsored ethnic profiling of Tigrayans across Ethiopia, in and outside of the Tigray region. We are horrified by these reports and call on the international community to collectively condemn the gross human rights violations and demand for the verifiable protection of Tigrayans in Ethiopia. We have received credible and verified reports that the government of Ethiopia has alarmingly increased their intimidation and harassment of Tigrayans across the country, as well as the infringement of their constitutional rights, particularly in the aftermath of their significant military defeat against the Tigray Defense Forces (TDF). The government of Ethiopia has uniformly and judiciously instrumentalized a narrative that collectively blames Tigrayan civilians for the Ethiopian National Defense Forces’ (ENDF) military defeat in the Tigray region. Omna Tigray believes this systematic criminalization of the Tigrayan identity will further exacerbate the genocide of Tigrayans across Ethiopia. 

Following the retreat of the ENDF from Tigray’s capital Mekelle, ethnic Tigrayans have experienced intensified state-sponsored ethnic targeting and discrimination. This has included but has not been limited to: mass imprisonment on the basis of their Tigrayan identity, the forced closure of Tigrayan-owned businesses, discrimination at public universities, the denial of due process and the right to legal representation and visitations, extrajudicial searches of homes and properties, forcible abductions to concentration camps, and the silencing of solitary voices critical of the government’s genocidal actions in Tigray. Tigrayan residents in Addis Ababa and elsewhere in Ethiopia have reported targeted searches and checks of identification cards without probable cause, both at checkpoints and random areas throughout the city.^[1]https://africanarguments.org/2021/07/tigrayans-in-ethiopia-fear-becoming-the-next-rwanda/ Those of Tigrayan identity or having Tigrayan-sounding names are taken by plainclothes police officers^[2]https://africanarguments.org/2021/07/tigrayans-in-ethiopia-fear-becoming-the-next-rwanda/ to compounds allegedly holding thousands of Tigrayans with only one meal per day,^[3]https://apnews.com/article/africa-ethiopia-race-and-ethnicity-health-coronavirus-5f22a5aea128cbd659fbf4f810aac973 no access to water, and forced to sleep on the ground.^[4]https://twitter.com/moradnews/status/1414197714183770119?s=21

Tigrayans also report being arrested by plainclothes police for showing sympathy to rape, famine, or war victims in Tigray on social media.^[5]https://apnews.com/article/africa-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-b1a97f2569592f499565bfb6e673dc3d The few that were released report their families or friends having to pool thousands to pay fines or were forced to utilize non-Tigrayan networks and their connections to the police force in order to be released. Meanwhile, the whereabouts of thousands of arrested Tigrayans is still unknown^[6]https://africanarguments.org/2021/07/tigrayans-in-ethiopia-fear-becoming-the-next-rwanda/ but it is alleged they have been moved to military camps that have been unlawfully housing an estimated 17,000 Tigrayan members of the ENDF since the outbreak of war in November 2020.^[7]https://africanarguments.org/2021/07/tigrayans-in-ethiopia-fear-becoming-the-next-rwanda/ Additionally, Dagnachew Assefa, a close advisor of Abiy Ahmed, recently publicly suggested in an interview that Tigrayans should face possible deportation from Addis Ababa and other regions outside of Tigray further inciting ethnic profiling and discrimination against Tigrayans in Ethiopia.^[8]https://www.facebook.com/MaledaMedia/videos/498935987993837/?extid=CL-UNK-UNK-UNK-IOS_GK0T-GK1C

The ethnic discrimination and targeting of Tigrayans have been systematically instiutionalized throughout Ethiopia, especially within the realms of public universities and property ownership. In terms of educational institutions, Tigrayan students at public universities have been expelled without cause. Ethiopian citizens of Tigrayan origin have been arbitrarily denied entry and exit from the country. An innumerable number of small and medium-sized businesses have been closed,^[9]https://apnews.com/article/africa-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-b1a97f2569592f499565bfb6e673dc3d some on the basis of playing Tigrigna music believed to be “inciting music that celebrates the adversity of the country and humiliates the ENDF.” The hindrance of commerce has extended to larger establishments including hotels and construction companies. Some have been coerced into selling their businesses below market price. 

The Ethiopian federal government has also intensified its attack on journalists and the press. Throughout the past eight months, the Ethiopian government has detained journalists and translators for “tarnishing the image of the government,”^[10]https://cpj.org/2020/12/ethiopian-journalist-dawit-kebede-detained-without-charge-since-november-30/ including those from international media such as Agence France-Presse, Financial Times and the BBC,^[11]https://cpj.org/2021/03/translators-and-journalists-released-without-charge-in-ethiopia/ and has deported a New York Times journalist.^[12]https://cpj.org/2021/05/cpj-condemns-ethiopias-expulsion-of-new-york-times-reporter-simon-marks/ Tigrayan journalists have had their homes ransacked for reporting on the atrocities committed in Tigray by Ethiopian and Eritrean Forces,^[13]https://cpj.org/2021/02/unidentified-armed-men-ransack-home-of-ethiopian-journalist-lucy-kassa-question-her-about-conflict-coverage/ and some like Dawit Kebede Araya of Tigray TV have been killed.^[14]https://cpj.org/2021/01/reporter-dawit-kebede-araya-shot-and-killed-in-ethiopia/ On June 21, journalist Abebe Bayu, a journalist for the dissident media outlet Ethio-forum, was surrounded by a group of four unidentified men outside a restaurant in Addis Ababa, and subsequently blindfolded, abducted, threatened with a pistol, beaten, and robbed.^[15]https://cpj.org/2021/07/ethiopian-journalist-abebe-bayu-abducted-and-assaulted-by-unidentified-men/ 

The Committee to Protect Journalists reported that on June 30, police in Addis Ababa raided Awlo Media Center and arrested 12 employees. In addition to the employees, the lawyer of the center, Tewlde Taddesse, was arrested at his home.^[16]https://cpj.org/2021/07/ethiopian-authorities-arrest-at-least-15-employees-of-2-independent-media-outlets/ Those arrested have not been brought to court and charges have yet to be filed. On July 2, nearly two weeks after his abduction and attack by unidentified assailants, it was reported that police arrested journalist Abebe Bayu and administrator Yayesew Shimelis of Ethio Forum.^[17]https://cpj.org/2021/01/reporter-dawit-kebede-araya-shot-and-killed-in-ethiopia/ State and state-affiliated media continue to instruct Ethiopians to spy on Tigrayans through a ‘see something, say something’ campaign. Pro-government social media activists, such as Seyoum Teshome, have openly called for the murder of journalists that have been critical of the war on Tigray and the 2021 federal elections.^[18]https://twitter.com/TsedaleLemma/status/1411272864897110027?s=20

Although the government of Ethiopia has steadily propagated anti-Tigrayan hate speech like “daytime hyena,”^[19]https://www.dw.com/en/hate-speech-in-ethiopia-abiy-ahmed-resurrects-old-demons/a-55800705 there has been a noticeable intensification of state-sponsored denigration of Tigrayans in the recent past weeks. Abiy has reinforced the targeted stigmatization of Tigrayans by using inflammatory language that conflates Tigrayan civilians with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), such as insinuating the civilian population in Tigray and elsewhere in the country were responsible for the ENDF’s military setbacks. One notable example is during Abiy’s post-election speech delivered to various Ethiopian media agencies, in which he claimed that weapons, not bodies, were being buried at funerals in Tigray.^[20]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xvv-YSRy3Y&t=160s 

Furthermore, Abiy added that Tigrayan priests carrying guns incite civilians to attack Ethiopian soldiers and Tigrayan civilians often exaggerated food aid needs in order to send surplus food to TDF soldiers.^[21]https://cpj.org/2021/07/ethiopian-authorities-arrest-at-least-15-employees-of-2-independent-media-outlets/ These narratives have been echoed by prominent members of Ahmed’s Prosperity Party, such as Taye Denda Aredo, a politician, who referred to Tigrayan civilians in Addis Ababa, as “residue” of the TPLF and accused them of stealing from other Ethiopian citizens in order to financially support TDF.^[22]https://www.facebook.com/312860729331033/posts/884952302121870/?d=n  Denda warned that they will be punished by the government of Ethiopia, stating “those who do not understand love and forgiveness will be trained to understand it through law enforcement.”^[23]https://twitter.com/TsedaleLemma/status/1411272864897110027?s=20

In addition to targeting Tigrayan civilians, the government of Ethiopia and its supporters have harassed humanitarian aid workers. In an effort to further discriminate against Tigrayan aid recipients and weaponize famine as a form of genocide, Ahmed accused humanitarian agencies of covertly supplying TDF with weapons and military strategy during an interview with Fana Television aired on June 23.^[24]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpCADjhS9UQ This systematic slander of aid workers and the Tigrayan people has led to the jeopardization of humanitarian workers’ physical safety in Tigray, as a means to hinder their access into Tigray. Since the start of the war, at least 12 humanitarian aid workers have been killed^[25]https://apnews.com/article/ethiopia-africa-db10ffa1070f8ed8a3bec2d4f9ecc465 by either the ENDF, Eritrean Defense Forces, Amhara Special Forces, or Amhara Fano Militia.

On July 12, the U.S.State Department stated they “strongly condemn any retaliatory attacks that have been or may be directed against civilians in the Tigray region” as Tigrayans residing in territories still occupied by Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Amhara forces face retaliatory violence at the hands of these forces.^[26]https://twitter.com/statedept/status/1414696064649736199?s=21 We urge the European Union and United Nations to similarily condemn the retaliatory ethnic targeting and discrimination faced by the Tigrayan people at the hands of Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Amhara forces and their supporters.

The mass detainment, ethnic discrimination, and targeting of Tigrayans across Ethiopia along with the current telecommunications blackout, blockage of roads and transportation, and “siege” of the Tigray region by the Ethiopian government, as acknowledged by the U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield, is not indicative of a government acting in the best interest of its citizens. As the safety and survival of Tigrayans inside and outside of Tigray are at risk, we call on the international community to pressure the Ethiopian Government to:

• Immediately cease the unwarranted and unconstitutional arrest of Tigrayan citizens residing in different parts of ethiopia including Addis Ababa on the basis of their identity; 
• Release all Tigrayans that have been held without charge, including dissident journalists and the 17,000+ Tigrayan ENDF members unlawfully held;  
• Respect the constitutional right of free movement for all Ethiopian citizens equally under the law; 
• Respect private property and the right of all citizens to exchange goods and services on a free market; 
• Restore public services including internet, electricity, water, banking, transportation, and telecommunications throughout Tigray;
• End its vilification campaign and restrain itself from the use of hate speech and the deployment of state-sponsored terror against Tigrayans.

We also call on the international community to:

• Impose targeted sanctions on Ethiopian and Eritrean government officials and an arms embargo on both countries;
• UN-led and UN-only independent impartial investigations on all atrocities committed against the peopleTigray;
• Officially recognize the Tigray Genocide committed by the ENDF, Eritrean Defense Forces (EDF), Amhara Special Forces, and Amhara Fano Militia against the Tigrayan people;
• Conduct any domestic or international bilateral or multilateral relations regarding Tigray with the democratically elected and constitutionally mandated government of Tigray and other stakeholders. 

The temporary ceasefire declared by the Ethiopian federal government is illegitimate, and as Tigrayan community-based organizations and nonprofits within the global diaspora, we condemn Ethiopia for framing this action as a humanitarian gesture. The democratically elected and constitutionally mandated government of Tigray now resumes control over significant parts of Tigray including the capital city of Mekelle from June 28, 2021. Having faced major military defeats and resounding international condemnation, the Ethiopian federal government was forced to retreat and declare a temporary ceasefire without making any active effort to stop the violence.^[1]https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/us-news/2021/06/29/us-threatens-sanctions-on-eritrea-if-forces-not-withdrawn-from-tigray/

Despite the supposed ceasefire, hostile actors are still operating in many parts of Eastern and Western Tigray. Eritrean troops are still in the region; and there has been no attempt on Ethiopia to dispel them and no indication that Eritrea is committed to a ceasefire.^[2]https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/eritrean-forces-withdraw-from-key-towns-in-ethiopias-tigray/2021/06/29/8299b618-d8d6-11eb-8c87-ad6f27918c78_story.html Abiy Ahmed went on record only one week before the ceasefire stating he will not force the Eritrean army out of Tigray.^[3]https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-africa-57551057?piano-modal In addition, the Amhara ruling party has threatened Tigrayan forces against reclaiming Western Tigray, an area in which there has been mounting evidence of ethnic cleansing of Tigrayans.^[4]https://addisstandard.com/news-ruling-party-in-amhara-state-warns-tigrayan-forces-against-attempt-to-retake-areas-in-western-tigray/ Satellite imagery confirms two Ethiopian Sukhoi SU-27s have recently appeared at Bahir Dar Airport in the Amhara region, a departure from its typical base at Harar Meda Airport in the Oromia region.^[5]https://twitter.com/alula_solomon/status/1409925106659385347?s=12 The mobilization of Ethiopian fighter jets, while withdrawing Ethiopian federal officials from the capitol, draws concern of Tigray being at risk of arterial bombardment.

The violent events that occurred on the day Ethiopia declared a ceasefire proves they have no intention of de-escalation. Additionally, retreating ENDF forces destroyed and vandalized Tigray TV equipment.^[6]https://eritreahub.org/willful-destruction-of-tigray-television-by-departing-ethiopian-troops The Hawelti Semaetat’s museum was also found completely looted and vandalized with historical artifacts, books, and images missing from the premises.^[7]https://twitter.com/Mattewos88/status/1411661870742790146?s=20 Eritrean troops carried out a massacre in Tembien that took the lives of 30 civilians.^[8]https://twitter.com/getachew_temare/status/1409523566865956879?s=20 Only one day before the ceasefire, Yechila, a Tigrayan town of 30,000 residents was destroyed following the bombardments by the Ethiopian army. They burned down the entire village, killing six civilians.^[9]https://www.facebook.com/102601551775689/posts/202297131806130/?d=n

It is confirmed that ENDF troops have obstructed humanitarian action on their way out of Mekelle, attacking both UNICEF and The World Food Program. They dismantled satellite communications equipment, telecommunications infrastructure, and cut off the internet for the whole of Mekelle.^[10]https://www.unocha.org/story/daily-noon-briefing-highlights-democratic-republic-congo-ethiopia-0 Although the internet has been periodically shut down for the entire region, this is a new development for the capital city. The communications blackout obstructs information on the current situation’s impact on the humanitarian operation and hinders the service and safety of humanitarian aid workers. Tigray TV has also been looted, and employees were told to stay home, further restricting information.^[11]https://twitter.com/HailuKebede_/status/1409506847573348354?s=20 Flights to and from Mekelle have been suspended and roads to and from Mekele are blocked.^[12]https://et.usembassy.gov/alert-situation-in-mekele/ Civilians across Tigray are trapped in the region with no cell service or media coverage to warn them of attacks or document what will happen next, including those in Mekelle.

On Thursday, three days after declaring a ceasefire, Amhara Security Forces destroyed the Tekeze bridge connecting Gondar to Shire. This bridge was critical for allowing aid into Tigray, as three of the four main roads into Tigray are now obstructed and we are unsure if the fourth road is passable.^[13]https://news.yahoo.com/tigray-ceasefire-needs-two-tango-150203039.html Ethnic profiling is rampant in many parts of Ethiopia, including Addis Ababa, where reports of mass arrests are underway. Sources confirm police are detaining youth and business owners, labeling them traitors and taking them to an undisclosed location.^[14]https://twitter.com/martinplaut/status/1410847653563441153?s=20 It is abundantly clear this is not a law and order operation. ENDFs violent actions at the command of Abiy Ahmed, continuously point to their goal of ethnically cleansing Tigrayans.

Abiy Ahmed and the Ethiopian federal government have gone on record contradicting themselves numerous times. He claims the ceasefire declaration was to allow the delivery of aid to starving populations in Tigray, however, just one week ago, denied there ever being a famine.^[15]https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-africa-57551057?piano-modal On May 17th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the Ethiopian government rejects the repeated call to cease hostilities with TPLF. The Ethiopian government also has yet to recognize the re-instated elected Government of Tigray, making it unclear who they are considering negotiations with for a ceasefire.

The Ethiopian government’s history of deceptiveness, continued use of weaponized starvation, apparent mobilization of fighter jets, and lack of a withdrawal of Amhara and Eritrean forces proves the federal government is still an active threat to Tigray. Ethiopia is guilty of long denying humanitarian aid to Tigrayans and is now using their forced retreat from the capital to pretend to care about the safety of Tigrayans. This ceasefire is a ploy to save their reputation while regrouping for another attack, all the while demonizing TDF for defending innocent civilians from ENDF’s violence. As Tigrayan organizations and nonprofits of the global diaspora, we are deeply concerned about the safety of our people back home and fully support the Government of Tigray’s call to assist humanitarian aid workers. We stand alongside the government of Tigray and Tigray Defense Forces, ready to support the United Nations and humanitarian organizations working to deliver emergency aid to the most critical population in Tigray.

To ensure the safety of civilian lives, we at Omna in collaboration with Tigrayan organizations, demand the following:

• Immediate, internationally monitored and verifiable, withdrawal of Eritrean and Amhara invading  forces from Tigray and restore the pre-war territorial integrity of Tigray; 
• For the United Nations to establish an independent body charged with impartial investigation into the different crimes committed against the people of Tigray and to bring perpetrators of such crimes to the International Criminal Court;
• Allow unimpeded humanitarian access to Tigray and facilitate the comprehensive rehabilitation of internally displaced Tigrayans as well as refugees;
• Repatriate illegally looted public and private properties from Tigray and provide proportional compensation for any damage incurred;
• Restore public services including internet, electricity, banking, transportation and telecommunications throughout Tigray. Allow direct international flight to and from Tigray;
• Respect the constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and accept the framework laid out by such constitution to settle any political issue;
• Any bilateral or multilateral relations regarding Tigray, be it domestic or international, should be conducted between the democratically elected and constitutionally mandated government of Tigray and other stakeholders; and
• Immediate end to the ongoing mass arrest of Tigrayans residing in different parts of Ethiopia including Addis Ababa and release of all wrongfully detained individuals on the basis of their ethnic identity including Tigrayan members of the ENDF.

We will continue advocating for Tigrayans and humanitarian workers in Tigray.

Signed,

The collective of Tigrayan community-based organizations and nonprofits within the global diaspora listed below:

1. OMNA Tigray
2. Global Society of Tigray Scholars and Professionals (GSTS)
3. Security and Justice for Tigray
4. Health Professionals Network for Tigray
5. UTNA (Union of Tigrians in North America)
6. Union of Tigrayans in Belgium (UTB)
7. Stand with Tigray
8. Alliance of Tigrayan Associations in Australia and New Zealand
9. Association of Tigray Community in Canada
10. Tigray Communities Forum
11. Tigray Äthiopischer Verein in Deutschland e.V.
12. Tegaru Professionals Network National
13. United Tegaru Canada
14. United Tegaru Australia
15. Tigray Youth Network
16. Giovani Tigrai Italiani
17. Tigray Youth Movement Switzerland
18. Tegaru Youth Germany
19. Tigrean Youth Association Victoria
20. Tigray Youth Holland
21. Tigray Relief Sweden
22. IROB Anina Civil Society
23. I Stand with Tigray
24. Mekete Tigray UK
25. Tghat Media
26. Tigrai Media House

Omna Tigray strongly condemns Ethiopia’s recent attack on civilians in Togoga, Tigray and Ethiopia’s failure to ensure the safety of aid workers throughout the region.

The targeted airstrike by Ethiopian forces (who confirmed responsibility for the attack) in the town of Togoga on Tuesday, June 22nd that resulted in at least 64 people killed and 180 injured, is devastating and morally reprehensible.

The intentional bombardment on a market day, in which thousands of civilians would be present, bears striking resemblance to the Derg regime’s bombardment in the market town of Hawzen that took place on the same date, 33 years prior.

The Ethiopian military’s subsequent blockage of ambulances from reaching and leaving the scene to provide life-saving assistance, and the federal government’s blatant refusal to acknowledge the victims as Tigrayan civilians deserves equal condemnation.

We would also like to acknowledge the brutal killings of three MSF workers (Spaniard Maria Hernandez and Tigrayans Yohannes Halefom Reda and Tedros Gebremariam Gebremichael) in Abi Adi, Tigray who were in the region to aid the many impacted by the ongoing Tigray genocide.

Humanitarian workers who dedicate their lives to helping civilians in Tigray should not have to pay with their lives, as was also the case for at least seven other humanitarian workers across NGOs, including a USAID worker in May.

The attack on MSF staff follows an incident in March where Ethiopian soldiers dragged at least four Tigrayan men off a public bus in Tigray and executed them in front of an MSF team.

We would also like to note that the Tigray regional government and the Tigray Defense Forces have expressed their readiness and willingness to not only work with international aid agencies, but to provide them protection while operating in Tigray as well.

We are further alarmed by Abiy Ahmed’s televised interview with Fana Television on Wednesday, June 23, where he accuses aid workers of currently and historically trying to provide military strategy and support instead of aid to the people of Tigray. These outrageous lies and demonization of aid workers has contributed to attacks and atrocities by Ethiopian and Eritrean forces against aid workers trying to help the over 900,000 Tigrayans who are experiencing famine and the 33,000+ children facing imminent death presently. 

The Togoga massacre, killing of MSF staff, and other crimes committed in Tigray are unacceptable and must cease, and a full UN-led and UN-only investigation must be initiated for these recent attacks. The international community must impose actions against Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers who continue to commit human rights violations with impunity. 

Our thoughts and condolences are with the victims and the families of the innocent civilians in Tigray and the brave MSF staff. We will continue advocating for the people of Tigray and for the protection of all Tigrayans and humanitarian workers in the region so future tragedies can be prevented.