UN human rights chief warns of 'war crimes' in Ethiopia killings

The UN human rights chief Friday expressed growing alarm at the rapidly deteriorating situation in Ethiopia's northernmost Tigray region with her office warning that civilians' killings could amount to war crimes.

"There is a risk this situation will spiral totally out of control, leading to heavy casualties and destruction, as well as mass displacement within Ethiopia itself and across borders," warned Michelle Bachelet, the UN high commissioner for human rights, in a statement.

She warned of dire consequences if the Tigray regional forces and the Ethiopian government forces continued down their path.

"There is a risk this situation will spiral totally out of control, leading to heavy casualties and destruction, as well as mass displacement within Ethiopia itself and across borders."

Rupert Colville, the rights office spokesman, said at a UN press briefing: "While the details of the alleged mass killings reported by Amnesty International in Mai-Kadra [May Cadera] in south-west Tigray have not yet been fully verified, the High Commissioner is calling for a full inquiry."

Bachelet said: "If confirmed as having been deliberately carried out by a party to the current fighting, these killings of civilians would, of course, amount to war crimes, and there must be an independent investigation and full accountability for what has happened."

"However, the first priority right now must be to stop the fighting and prevent any further atrocities from taking place."

Amnesty International said that scores, and likely hundreds, of people, were stabbed or hacked to death in the Mai-Kadra town of the southwestern Tigray region during the night of Nov. 9.

"We have confirmed the massacre of a very large number of civilians, who appear to have been day laborers in no way involved in the ongoing military offensive.

"This is a horrific tragedy whose true extent only time will tell as communication in Tigray remains shut down," said Deprose Muchena, the Amnesty International's director for East and Southern Africa.

Jens Laerke, the Geneva spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said humanitarian assistance to more than 2 million people in the Tigray region has been disrupted.

"Fighting in Tigray yesterday moved closer to Shimelba refugee camp-which hosts 6,500 Eritrean refugees-raising concerns of mass displacement from the camp itself," said Babar Baloch, the spokesperson for the UN refugee agency.

The Ethiopian military counter-offensive against the renegade Tigray People's Liberation Front's (TPLF) forces in Tigray continues, and the offensive has killed over 550 rebels so far.

Ethiopian troops are making substantial advances, capturing towns in western Tigray in areas that stretch from Dansha to Zalambessa, a town bordering Eritrea, sources told Anadolu Agency Wednesday.

At least 550 TPLF fighters have been killed, Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation quoted Mj. Gen. Belay Seyoum, the head of the Northern Command, which was attacked last week by the TPLF junta, as saying. He said on Tuesday that 19 TPLF fighters also surrendered.