Recounting the Genocide Stories of Tigray: My experience in the concentration camps in Ethiopia – Part 3

Every atrocity in the playbook and more have been perpetrated by the governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea, as well as their peoples, against Tigrayans and those of Tigrayan descent. Among these atrocity crimes were the arbitrary arrest and gross mistreatment of people with any connection to Tigray, however minute. This is the third and final part of my series recounting my experiences while detained in a concentration camp solely because of my Tigrayan identity. In this final chapter, I recount more of the crimes I witnessed while illegally detained and reflect on what this experience taught me about Ethiopian society and how it has cemented my steadfast commitment to ensuring justice and humanity. 

After November 4, 2021, we were forcibly transferred to a concentration camp specifically designed to inflict suffering on Tigrayans. The camp, overcrowded and decrepit, became our new reality, where approximately 500 of us Tigrayans endured inhumane conditions. 

The camp was rife with horrific injustices against Tigrayans. This concentration camp, a stark symbol of systemic oppression and ethnic persecution, epitomized the horrors inflicted upon Tigrayans daily– the stripping away of basic human dignity.

An 80-year-old Tigrayan man was subjected to severe restrictions, denied access to the toilet or sunlight, simply because he bore a resemblance to the late and veteran politician Abay Tsehaye. Extortion was rampant. Tigrayan prisoners were forced to pay more than 5,000 Ethiopian birr daily to avoid brutal torture by the policemen. The deprivation of sunlight was so severe that two Tigrayan inmates eventually lost their eyesight. Even those with disabilities were not spared: A Tigrayan man with a disability, who made a modest living by fixing hair within the prison compound, was coerced into giving up 50 percent of his earnings to the guards.

The hate against Tigrayans was so deeply seeded that people of other ethnic groups with any connection to Tigray, whether real or imagined, were considered Tigrayans and punished as such. A few non-Tigrayans shared our fate due to absurd and unjust reasons.

One Amhara man, whose only crime was having his driver’s license issued in Alamata, a Tigrayan town, found himself imprisoned with us because his license address read “Alamata – Tigray.” Another young Amhara native was arrested merely for wearing plastic shoes that were typically worn in Tigray, under the ludicrous accusation that his footwear signified allegiance to the Tigray Defense Forces. Additionally, an Amhara native from Debre Berhan was imprisoned with us because his grandfather’s name, Gebretsadik—a common name derived from the Ge’ez Bible—sounded Tigrayan to the authorities.

As evidenced above, the Ethiopian government and its agents do not believe that Tigrayans deserve the right to life or human dignity. As a victim of the Tigray Genocide and witness of countless human rights violations, I have had to process what it means for your countrymen to want your eradication. I was raised hearing that the people would unite and triumph over politicians and armed groups that opposed national interests. However, until November 2020, I had never encountered the idea that ordinary citizens could be incited to commit genocide against another group of ordinary citizens. I grew up with the belief that all Ethiopians were akin to the people of Tigray, sharing the same problems, goals, and aspirations. Sadly, I have come to realize that many Ethiopians harbor a deep-seated hatred towards Tigrayans and would readily align with destructive forces to annihilate them given the chance.

Ideally, the government should be for the people and by the people, but in Ethiopia, it is the people who are subjugated, controlled, and manipulated by the government. This is why almost the entire Ethiopian populace supported the genocidal campaign against Tigray from the time the government declared war until much of the active conflict ceased with the signing of the Pretoria Agreement. Genocide against Tigrayans was not only perpetrated by politicians and elites but also supported by the general Ethiopian population, who endorsed Abiy Ahmed’s actions. Every Ethiopian who had the chance to contribute to the genocide did so willingly.

The Ethiopian government has also committed war crimes against the Amhara and Oromo people for some time.

Despite the fact that many Oromo and Amhara individuals supported the government during the height of the genocide on Tigray, I do not condone the atrocities being committed against them now. I consistently advocate for an end to the conflict in Amhara and Oromia, while still demanding justice for the crimes perpetrated in Tigray by both the Ethiopian government and its citizens. 

We, the resolute survivors of the Tigray Genocide, shall never forget the despicable atrocities inflicted upon us. We will relentlessly pursue justice to ensure that those responsible are brought before impartial international courts to answer for their appalling crimes. We will never forget, nor will we allow such malevolent acts to be perpetuated against humanity again.