Shell-shocked Survivors Describe Brutal Tigray Rebel Advance
Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published August 26, 2021 | 09:40 AM
Dessie, Ethiopia, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Aug, 2021 ) :After seizing the farming village in northern Ethiopia, the rebels roamed the streets searching for young, able-bodied men who had fought alongside government forces.
Anyone with a militia ID was a suspect. So were men with marks on their shoulders left by rifle straps, even though it is common for farmers in Ethiopia's Amhara region -- militia fighters or not -- to carry Kalashnikovs.
Before the day was over, the rebels had fatally shot two men in their homes and marched a third to a nearby river where they fired rounds into his back, according to 49-year-old Adisse Wonde, who told AFP he buried all three.
"They want to suppress and rule us. Their deed is ethnic cleansing," Adisse said of the rebels who hail from Ethiopia's northernmost region of Tigray.
The alleged killings earlier this month in the village of Hara are just one example of gruesome abuses described by witnesses of Ethiopia's widening war.
Long confined to Tigray, the conflict has recently spread to two neighbouring regions, Afar and Amhara, with heavy weapons fire killing an untold number of civilians and displacing hundreds of thousands more.
The rebels, known as the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), have dismissed allegations they have committed atrocities as "groundless" pro-government propaganda.
Yet newly displaced civilians in Amhara tell a different story.
They blame TPLF fighters for killings, widespread looting and the indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas.
Recent Stories
Food minster for ensuring transparent distribution of Bardana
Russia says has evidence Moscow attackers were linked to Kyiv
PM chairs review meeting on stoppage of electricity theft
IPM survey proves biocontrol technology profitable for cotton farmers
Pandemic accord talks heading for extra time
Senate elections in KP hang on reserve seat oath-taking, states ECP
UK's biggest water supplier plunges into deeper financial crisis
DG SEPA for installation of waste water treatment facilities
Man gets life imprisonment for killing wife
French parliament condemns 1961 Paris massacre of Algerians
First Inter Schools Naat Competition held in Larkana
S.Africa electoral body bars ex-president Zuma from May election
More Stories From Miscellaneous
-
Shaheed Jalil Andrabi remembered on his martyrdom anniversary
1 day ago -
Architectural grandeur of Mohabat Khan Mosque attracts visitors, archeology lovers
1 day ago -
Besant Hall cultural centre to hold programme in memory Pir Hassam din Rashdi
3 days ago -
USA beats Mexico 2-0 for CONCACAF Nations League title
3 days ago -
World urged to intervene for peace in Kashmir
4 days ago -
Undeterred resolve – only way to end economic woes
4 days ago
-
Organic Food: A booming trend in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
4 days ago -
From Soil to Harvest: Use of modern technology vital for agricultural renaissance
4 days ago -
Spring season offers glimpse into GB's natural beauty, cultural heritage
4 days ago -
Nation to mark decades’ long journey of resilience through annals of history
6 days ago -
23rd March: A historic day reminds Muslims’ heroic struggle for Pakistan
6 days ago -
Measures urged to recharge depleting water table: Experts
6 days ago