The Ethiopian Foreign Ministry on Saturday (March 13th) rejected the accusations of ethnic cleansing in Tigray formulated by American diplomacy, calling them "
completely unfounded and spurious.
"
Read also: After four months of war, the Tigrayans refuse to bow to Ethiopia
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken denounced during a parliamentary hearing on Wednesday "
acts of ethnic cleansing
" in western Tigray and referred to the presence of forces from Eritrea and the neighboring Amhara region who "
must to leave
”.
“The allegations, or rather the real accusations, of ethnic cleansing of Tigrayans (made) by US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken
during his testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on March 10, 2021, is a judgment completely unfounded and misleading towards the Ethiopian government,
”the ministry said in a statement released on Saturday.
“
Nothing, during or after the end of the main policing operation in Tigray, can be identified or defined in any way as targeted, intentional ethnic cleansing against anyone in the region.
This is why the Ethiopian government vigorously opposes such accusations,
”the ministry continues.
The press release also concludes by reaffirming the Ethiopians' will to maintain their relationship with the United States, while "
continuing to have frank exchanges on bilateral and regional issues
".
The Ethiopian government "
is committed to working closely with the current US administration to strengthen and energize this important bilateral relationship in the years to come,
" the statement said.
On Thursday March 11, authorities in the Amhara region had already rejected these accusations in an interview with AFP.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, winner of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, launched a military operation in Tigray on November 4 to overthrow the authorities of the ruling party in this region, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), whose forces he accused of having attacked federal army bases.
He relied on regional forces from Amhara to secure large areas of Tigray after the TPLF withdrew.
In several localities, Amhara officials have been tasked with setting up interim administrations.
Read also: Ethiopia: in Tigray, the war awakens the specter of famine
Many Amhara believe that the TPLF, which dominated federal power in Ethiopia from 1991 to 2018, improperly integrated into Tigray fertile areas that they inhabited and that they historically believe.