On the May-Kadra civilian killings, A Thread
The reported killings of civilians is harrowing and I condemn it in the strongest terms possible. Civilians should not be deliberately attacked at all time. That said, the report by @amnesty raises many issues: 1/11
The reported killings of civilians is harrowing and I condemn it in the strongest terms possible. Civilians should not be deliberately attacked at all time. That said, the report by @amnesty raises many issues: 1/11
The Report manly relies on few witnesses, ‘who were providing food and other supplies to the Ethiopian Defense Forces,’ and ‘a civilian who entered the town after it was retaken by EDF.’ This is problematic when it comes to the impartiality of the sources used. 2/11
It is striking that @amnesty did not use residents as witnesses, nor reach out the authorities in #Tigray before it released the Report. It’s understood that they are not as accessible given the complete phone blackout, but it does not appear that it even tried. 3/11
The report states that the victims were ‘stabbed or hacked’ with ‘sharp weapons such as knives and machetes.’ & ‘there were no signs of gunshot wounds.’ This begs many questions. Is it common for armed fighters to use other tools to attack? 4/11
One of the witnesses is said to have ‘looked at the state-issued ID of some victims,’ and s/he reports that ‘most were Amhara.’ Contrary reading suggests that some victims were from other ethnic groups. Why was this part missing, given the sensitivity of the report? 5/11
Besides, the incident allegedly took place 3 days before the release of the report. It seems rational to ask why the Abiy regime, w/c apparently controls the area, did not allow independent media and investigators to the place during that time. 6/11
#TPLF is mentioned as likely culprit in the report. But TPLF led #Tigray has been, by far, the most stable region, with no record of ethnic based attacks for long time. How is it comprehensible that this could all the sudden change, and particularly in that place? 7/11
Related to this, Amnesty ‘has not yet been able to confirm who was responsible for the killings.’ Officials in the Abiy regime, including @fitsumaregaa, however, were quick to blame it on TPLF. Such, rather all too common trend, is irresponsible. 8/11
These questions suggest that a more through and independent investigation is in order and those involved should be held accountable. The parties to the conflict need to be open for an investigation, so that such heinous crimes are not repeated. 9/11
On this, given that the Abiy regime has been repeatedly accused of creating crises to then implicate its political opponents, it should not be allowed to take part, much less conduct an independent investigation. Case in point is a recent incident in W/Welega. 10/11
Lastly, as AI stressed “the government must restore all communication to Tigray as an act of accountability and transparency for its military operations in the region,” as armed conflicts conducted in the darkness lay a conducive ground for gross violation of IHL norms. 11/11
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