By Meron Teshome
September 06/2022
In advance of the deployment of the International Independent Investigation Team to Ethiopian to investigate atrocities committed in the Tigray region and across the country, the Amhara regional government in cooperation with Gonder University experts has facilitated the destruction of corpses of ethnic Tigrayans after digging up the victims’ bodies from a number of fresh mass graves in different parts of western Tigray. Because the crimes that have been perpetrated on indigenous Tigrayans in a cascade of vicious systematic genocide campaign in western Tigray since the start of November 2020 are too overwhelming, the genocidal Amhara expansionist clique have been using many inhumane savage tactics to remove evidence of corpses of victim ethnic Tigrayans after funding was approved to the International Independent Investigation Team. The three credibly reported ways the genocidal Amhara invading forces have been using in avoiding evidence of corpses of victim ethnic Tigrayans are transferring a very large number of corpses of victim ethnic Tigrayans from western Tigray to Amhara region, dumping the bodies of victim ethnic Tigrayans into Tekeze river, and burning into ashes corpses of victim ethnic Tigrayans. The genocidal Amhara expansionist clique in authority have not only facilitated the removal of the bodies of civilian Tigrayan victims from western Tigray but also devised several inhumane ploys and turned them into fictional documentaries with the contrived attempt to counteract and counterbalance the extremely serious human right violations and large-scale horrendous atrocities and vast destructions the genocidal triumvirate forces (the barbaric Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Amhara invading forces) have been mercilessly perpetrating in Tigray region.
To give an aura of legitimacy to the savage spectacle of facilitating the expungement of traces of forensic evidence, one of the brunt of genocidal Amhara expansionist officials who did a telephone interview with a BBC reporter said that the exhumed dead bodies from mass graves in western Tigray were Amhara people who have been killed for the last 27 years by TPLF; while self-debased genocidal institution, Gonder University, avoided an interview with BBC for a question about the facilitation of the digging up of fresh mass graves in western Tigray. No matter how much inhumane tactics these genocidal expansionists clique employ to cover up countless brutal massacres and merciless heinous crimes that they have been carrying out over innocent Tigrayan civilians in the dark since the start of November 2020, the truth will come out and be exposed one way or the other.
The grim reality of publicly facilitating the covering up of merciless massacres has been credibly reported by BBC international media. BBC reporter has conducted in-person interviews with several eyewitnesses in Humera, Adabay, and Adi Goshu who have seen the digging up of fresh mass graves and the destruction of the bodies of Tigrayan victims of brutal death in western Tigray. The report released by BBC News says: Amhara forces which are occupying western Tigray have been identified as digging up fresh mass graves, exhuming hundreds of bodies, burning them and then transporting what remains out of the region. Furthermore, The eyewitnesses have said that the campaign to destroy evidence of atrocities was launched in western Tigray three days after funding was approved -for the International Independent Investigation Team. Additionally, an eyewitness said: Campaign of the disposal of evidence started on 4 April and was supervised by experts from Godar University, When they came, they came with trucks that were loaded with chemicals in white jerry cans, The experts [from Gonder University] were in the town [Humera] for a few days giving training to the Amhara militia on how to dispose of the remains and then they returned,
To cover up their merciless atrocious crimes against innocent Tigrayan civilians, the genocidal Amhara expansionist clique shamelessly fabricated a story on a red-terror massacre campaign (which was waged by butcher Mengistu Hailemariam against any competing political group) and twisted the blame to TPLF by making the martyrs of red-terror assassination have Amhara identity. The intention of making ridiculous falsehood accusation of blaming the red-terror massacres on TPLF is with desperate attempt not only to counteract the grave and extensive horrendous atrocities that the genocidal Amhara invading forces have been perpetrating over innocent Tigrayan civilians in western Tigray but also to falsely persuade the International Independent Investigation Team with just dubious information. A report released by CBC News says: If the past has nothing to say to the present, history may go on sleeping undisturbed in the closet where the system keeps its old disguises, Eduardo Galeano, Uruguayan journalist, and writer.
While actively perpetrating systematic genocide over ethnic Tigrayans, the genocidal Amhara expansionist clique have not only conducted the destruction and removal of a very large number of corpses of Tigrayan victims from western Tigray but also made fictional documentaries with contrived attempt to counteract the very large-scale brutal mass killings and horrendous atrocities and vast destruction the barbaric triumvirate forces have committed in Tigray region with the aim to proportionate the counterfeit crimes in the false documentaries to victims of genocide by tampering with the work of the investigation which is highly expected to be thorough and transparent. As it has been noticed in the first phase of joint-investigation, the criminal Abiy regime, the perpetrators, the planners, and the organizers of the Tigray genocide though it appointed Daniel Bekele of the EHRC has been distorting countless horrendous atrocities and highly minimizing the scale and severity of atrocities that the barbaric Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Amhara invading forces have been perpetrating over innocent Tigrayan civilians in Tigray region.
During the past four months after the approval of funding for the International Independent Investigation Team, the genocidal Abiy regime and genocidal Amhara expansionist clique were galvanized into the removal of crime evidence from western Tigray and simultaneously orchestrating and producing several fake documentaries in Amhara and Afar regions under the direct supervision, suggestion, and guidance of Daniel Bekele of the EHRC and Berhanu Nega of the Ethiopia Ministry of Education with the aim to deceitfully persuade the International Independent Investigation Team with counterfeit and forged evidence not only to evade justice but also to get away with their genocide crimes, condemning victims with new pains and sufferings.
The fictional documentaries are made in a way to counteract the grave and extensive brutal mass killings, inexpressible sexual violence, and massive destructions the barbaric Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Amhara invading forces have deliberately perpetrated in the Tigray region. The fake documentaries that have been produced in both Amhara and Afar regions have similar forms that feature areas of injustice, sexual violence, and war crimes.
The fake documentaries that feature injustice were orchestrated and made with the inhumane tactics of changing the identity of corpses of innocent civilian Tigrayans as well as the status of the bodies of Ethiopian soldiers into civilian Amhara and Afar identities. In the injustice documentaries produced in Amhara and Afar regions, the corpses of Tigrayan civilian victims from a number of mass grave sites in different parts of western Tigray were exhumed and transferred to the Amhara and Afar regions where the identity of the corpses of Tigrayan victims was changed into Amhara and Afar civilian identities to blame Tigrayan forces for their own heinous crimes with cruel attempt not only to cover up the hideous crime of brutal mass killings they have carried out on innocent Tigrayan civilians but also to proportionate crimes of genocide to Tigrayan forces (a force defending its victim people from genocide and subsequent extinction against genocidal triumvirate forces) and thereby to double kill victims of genocide by robbing them the justice they need. The injustice documentaries also alter the status and collective identities of the bodies of Ethiopian soldiers to the status of Amhara and Afar civilians to accuse Tigrayan forces of killing civilians. This deplorable barbarous tactic of the genocidal Abiy government and genocidal Amhara expansionist clique is their last card of playing and tampering with corpses of ethnic Tigrayan victims and the bodies of Ethiopian soldiers to evade accountability by coaxing the International Independent Investigation Team with falsified evidence.
Unlike the genocidal triumvirate forces that have committed horrendous atrocities and mass destructions across the Tigray region, highly disciplined Tigrayan defense forces (TDF) have been well welcomed by the people in Amhara and Afar regions during the time when the Tigrayan forces had temporarily controlled some areas in Amhara and Afar regions as the forces were marching on to Addis Ababa. Tigrayan defense force has been protecting civilians in the Amhara region by setting up captured radar in towns, specifically in the market areas where many people were gathering in large numbers. TDF has also provided great service by distributing, to civilians in Amhara and Afar regions, the hijacked humanitarian food aid, which was initially intended to be supplied to internally-displaced civilians in Tigray who have been facing manmade famine. TDF has also helped Ethiopian soldiers who were wounded on the battlefield by providing first aid services and by transferring them to nearby hospitals. Moreover, TDF has given emergency operation services to several pregnant women helping them give birth through cesarean delivery to those who were incapable to give birth in a natural way.
The fake documentaries that feature on war-crime are made in a contrived attempt to create the counterfeit massive destructions of civil infrastructures, healthcare system, and public and private properties that the barbaric Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Amhara invading forces have deliberately committed in the Tigray region, where over 80 percent of the hospitals, 78 percent of health posts, 72 percent of the clinics, all the infrastructures, and machineries have been completely destroyed and 90 percent of the medical supplies and equipment, as well as public and private transport trucks and vehicles, have been looted, vandalized, and destroyed by these genocidal triumvirate forces.
The false war-crime documentaries narrate the destruction of properties in the Amhara and Afar regions by twisting the factual truth about the war crimes the Amhara special forces committed in the Amhara region and the Ethiopian forces committed in both regions to attribute the blame to Tigrayan forces. The false documentaries that portray damage to residences and partial damage to buildings in Amhara and Afar regions were caused by Amhara special forces and Ethiopian forces as they launched heavy gunfire from heavy armaments and artilleries inside towns and villages assumingly to target Tigrayan forces temporarily controlled towns and villages where no gunfire was responded in return as they were not battlefield/battleground for Tigrayan forces. The Criminal Abiy regime also committed war crimes by wantonly attacking residential areas with war jets and armed drones in Amhara and Afar regions. In the ridiculous false documentaries, the war crimes the Ethiopian forces and Amhara special forces committed in Amhara and Afar regions with their heavy artilleries and armed drones are used as expedient to automatically blame Tigrayan forces for it.
In the false war-crime documentaries, the damaged public high schools are portrayed without exposing the factual truth on the ground as to how the damage occurred. The damage that occurred to public high schools the Ethiopian forces used for military camps was a result of the exchange of fire between the Ethiopian forces and Tigrayan forces. Other public schools that were not used by the Ethiopian forces for the military camp were also included in the false war-crime documentaries to make accusations against Tigrayan forces for school property damage. Intact public schools with intact mirrors were used where the properties of the schools such as school furniture, supplies, and papers were deliberately messed up, broken, torn out, and scattered. Other types of property damage were also falsely claimed in the fake war-crime documentaries where damaged vehicles from the battlefields were brought and portrayed and damaged public and private vehicles were deliberately burned and were portrayed to attribute the blame to Tigrayan forces.
Despite the false accusation of war crimes against Tigrayan forces, there are copious pieces of evidence that show the war crimes the Amhara special forces recklessly committed in Amhara and Abiy government committed in both regions where buildings in town and several residences in small towns and villages were struck by Ethiopian forces and Amhara special forces with heavy artilleries and armed-drones. According to several accounts given by eyewitnesses in Amhara and Afar regions, the heavy artilleries and armed-drone attacks were recklessly launched by Amhara special forces and by Ethiopian forces. Moreover, there are several video pieces of evidence that show the grievance and anger of the residents in the Amhara and Afar region against Amhara special forces and the Abiy government for striking residences in towns and villages with heavy artilleries and armed drones recklessly.
The fake documentaries that feature sexual violence were made through conducting interviews with well-trained and paid activists, youths, & elders in a contrived attempt to counteract the brutal sexual violence and mass rapes barbaric Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Amhara invading forces have committed against 120,000 Tigrayan women and children in the liberated area of Tigray region. The false and counterfeit sexual-violence documentaries were produced in all Woredas and Kebeles in both Amhara and Afar regions where the performers were trained in such a way to mimic all kinds of sexual violence the genocidal triumvirate forces had committed against Tigrayan women and children in Tigray region.
We are raising our concern with the International Independent Investigation Team to be highly careful about working with the genocidal criminal government which had planned, organized, and perpetrated along with its allied genocidal Amhara and Eritrea invading forces unspeakable hideous crimes and horrendous atrocities over hundreds of thousands of innocent Tigrayans civilians in the last 21 months. The International Independent Investigation Team is highly expected to do justice in a way of being seen to be done. If the international community is serious about its pledge of never again and If the International Independent Investigation Team is serious about the moral responsibility it upholds, civilian victims of genocide should be the center of the investigation in order to bring justice and to end the 21-century systematic genocide on ethnic Tigrayans. The International Independent Investigation Team has a moral responsibility to hold perpetrators of genocide accountable with copious pieces of evidence that reveal how the genocide crimes have been carried out against ethnic Tigrayan civilians over the past 21 months.
The following credible portion of the article is directly derived from BBC International Media Outlet
In the shocking report released by BBC News: Amhara forces which are occupying western Tigray have been identified as digging up fresh mass graves, exhuming hundreds of bodies, burning them and then transporting what remains out of the region.
The following testimonies are the eyewitnesses of residences in Humera, in Adabay, and in Adi Goshu who have testified the truth about what they have seen the digging up of fresh mass graves and the destruction of the bodies of victims Tigrayans of brutal death in western Tigray.
An eyewitness said: Campaign of the disposal of evidence started on 4 April and was supervised by experts from Gondar University, When they came, they came with trucks that were loaded with chemicals in white jerry cans, The experts were in the town [Humera] for a few days giving training to the Amhara militia on how to dispose of the remains and then they returned,
An eyewitness said: There were around 100 bodies buried en masse behind the land of the public office of the Humera Agricultural Institute, They took the remains to the compound of the institute and turned them into ash using wood, fire, and chemicals that we dont know.
On 4 April, the Amhara militias and the Fano youth group exhumed the remains. They gathered wood, sprayed something we never saw before and burned the remains they collected. The remains crumbled and turned into ash. This testimony was consistent with what other eyewitnesses said about the same incident.
A resident of Adebay said: On the morning of 10 April, the Amhara militias dug up the four mass graves in the St. Abune Argawi church, There were 150 bodies of civilians killed in the August wave of ethnic cleansing. They loaded the bodies into a lorry. We dont know where they took the remains. According to other testimonies: Thirty-nine civilians had allegedly been buried there in October 2021 after being rounded up in the town of Adi Goshu and then caught trying to flee. The remains were loaded onto a lorry and moved to an unknown place.
In another town, Beaker, which is located between Tirkan and Rawyan, other eyewitnesses described similar activity
A resident said: The bodies belonged to 70 civilians who had been arrested in Beaker. They were massacred nine months ago, On 11 April the Amhara militia exhumed them and took them to Sanja, a town in the Amhara region.
Three residents said that militia members had been publicly talking about the involvement of Gondar University and showing off about how the evidence of the killings would not be discovered, The university has not responded to a request for comment on the allegations.
Reference 1) https://www.tghat.com
[Tigray Government Expresses Shock at Destruction of Evidence of Crimes and Calls on
ICC to Act]
Reference 2) https://www.bbc.com/news
[Ethiopia war: Evidence of mass killing being burned – witnesses]
[Thousands died during Ethiopias Red Terror, but the culprits still evade justice]