Amnesty International reports that Eritrean troops have killed three people and injured at least 19 in an unprovoked attack on civilians in the centre of Adwa town on April 12.
The eyewitness account reported by Amnesty International show that Eritrean troops while passing through the town located in the Tigray region, opened fire on people in a street close to the bus station.
The injured have since been taken to Don Bosco Hospital in Adwa. 19 of them had to be taken to the Emergency Unit of Axum Referral Hospital for advanced medical care.
Below are some of the eyewitness accounts:
“We knew that they are Eritreans soldiers because they were swearing in Tigrinya, the heavy trucks had Eritrean number plates and Eritrean defense force camouflages. They were shooting from the backs of the moving trucks,” – Teklu*, who works in the bus station, told Amnesty International.
Sertse*, who was also near the bus station at the time of the incident, told Amnesty International that he was walking from my shop which is near the PanAfric hotel towards the bus station.
The shooting started immediately after the two trucks passed me. There were rickshaws on the road and the soldiers on the first truck were shouting in Tigrinya to the rickshaw drivers to clear off the road. Then the soldiers on the second truck started shooting. There were many people on the street,
Solomon*, another witness, said, “The Eritrean soldiers came on two heavy trucks from the Adi Abun area. I was on the road just outside of my home when the shooting started at around 8 am. “It was sudden and I thought there was a gunfight going on in the area. In fact, there was no fighting but just shooting at passersby. One of the deceased was killed just five metres from my home. He died instantly. I saw him.”
“There must be justice and accountability for war crimes and human rights violations in Tigray. This attack and other allegations of violations must be independently and impartially investigated by an international inquiry. Ethiopia and Eritrea must fully cooperate with such investigations and ensure full reparation for victims and their families,” Sarah Jackson said.
