“The Ethiopian government has indicated its open will for independent investigations to be undertaken in the Tigray region,” the office of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed told CNN in a statement Friday.
The statement added: “Social media posts and claims cannot be taken as evidence, regardless of whether Western media report it or not. Hence why investigations into allegations are welcome for remedial action and accountability. Resultantly the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission together with the UN Office for the High Commissioner of Human Rights are already in the pipeline to carry out investigations.”
The Ethiopian government did not respond to CNN’s request for comment until after the investigation was published and broadcast.
A previous CNN investigation compiled eyewitness testimonies claiming that soldiers from neighboring Eritrea had crossed the border and were carrying out massacres, extrajudicial killings and deploying rape and sexual violence as a weapon.