The United States has described the Eritrean Defense Forces (EDF) Chief of Staff General Filipos Woldeyohannes (Filipos) as brutal and violent, for his connection with serious human rights abuse committed during the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia.
Filipos was designated in pursuant to the Executive Order 13818, which builds upon and implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act and targets perpetrators of serious human rights abuse and corruption around the world.
Also Read: U.S announces $4.3 million in new election-related support for Sudan
In a statement the U.S. said that Under Filipos’ command, EDF troops have raped, tortured, and executed civilians in Ethiopia.
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), have also described a systematic effort by the EDF to inflict as much harm on the ethnic Tigrayan population as possible, in the areas the EDF controls.
The Statement added that, Eritrean troops have forcibly displaced civilians and ransacked businesses; IDPs spoke of a “scorched earth” policy intended to prevent civilians from returning home.
The United States condemns in the strongest terms the human rights violations and abuses in Ethiopia, including those involved in the killings, forceful removals, and systemic sexual violence.
The U.S. is also concerned that large numbers of EDF, have re-entered Ethiopia, after withdrawing in June.
The U.S. is therefore calling on the Eritrean government to withdraw its military forces immediately and permanently from Ethiopia,
urging all parties to the conflict, including the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, to end abuses against civilians.
The United States is also calling on the UN Security Council and wider international community, to come together to push for a peaceful resolution of this ongoing conflict.
(Edited by Tunde Orebiyi)
