A recent report by the United States-based New Lines Institute presents compelling evidence that Ethiopian forces committed acts of genocide during the Tigray War.

This 120-page document, released on Tuesday, June 4 cites numerous independent and credible sources indicating that Ethiopian forces and their allies perpetrated “acts constituting the crime of genocide” during the conflict from 2020 to 2022.

The report’s authors urge that Ethiopia be brought before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The Tigray War began in November 2020 and was triggered by a push for autonomy by the regional government. This prompted a military intervention by the Ethiopian government in the northern region.

The Tigray War in Ethiopia, with its estimated death toll surpassing those of previous armed conflicts, is one of the most devastating wars of the twenty-first century and possibly one of the bloodiest since the end of the Cold War.

From its outbreak in 2020 until the formal ceasefire in 2022, this civil conflict resulted in the staggering loss of up to 400,000 soldiers and 300,000 civilians.

The Ethiopian government and Tigrayan forces accused each other of severe abuses, including massacres, rape, and arbitrary detentions, yet both deny responsibility for these atrocities.

A United Nations report issued in September last year indicated that war crimes and crimes against humanity continued nearly a year after an agreement to cease hostilities was reached between the Ethiopian government and Tigrayan forces in November 2022.

The New Lines Institute’s latest report builds on these findings, providing substantial evidence that Ethiopia engaged in actions violating the Genocide Convention.

Intent of Genocide

The report asserts that the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF), alongside the allied Eritrean Defence Forces (EDF) and various regional militias, “possessed the intent to destroy Tigrayans as an ethnic group.”

The document identifies at least four acts that constitute the crime of genocide: the killing of Tigrayans, causing them serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to destroy the group, and imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group.

Additionally, the report highlights social media posts by “certain individuals” that constitute public incitement to genocide.

Ethiopia has been repeatedly accused of attempting to block international investigations into these allegations and has consistently denied that its forces committed war crimes during the conflict. Eritrea has similarly dismissed such accusations as defamatory.

Despite these denials, the New Lines Institute’s report, which took two years to compile and involved contributions from dozens of legal experts, reinforces the United Nations’ earlier findings.

It stated that there is a “reasonable basis to believe” that Ethiopia and Eritrea are responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The report concludes with a call for the international community to exert pressure on Ethiopia through diplomatic channels and to hold the country accountable by bringing it before the ICJ.

The authors stress the necessity of international scrutiny and legal action to address the severe human rights violations documented during the Tigray war.

The release of this report sheds a stark light on the brutal realities of the Tigray conflict. It emphasizes the need for accountability and justice for the victims of these alleged genocidal acts.

As the international community reviews these findings, the hope is that meaningful actions will be taken to prevent further atrocities and to uphold human rights and international law.