This report  published by Addisababa Standard was a stark contrast to what Amnesty International alongside other international human rights organizations had reported especially on the identity of the victims and the role of Eritrean troops in the killing of civilians.

In the report titled ETHIOPIA: THE NEED FOR AN INDEPENDENT INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATION OF THE AXUM MASSACRE by Amnesty International, their evidence indicated that most of the victims of the massacre were unarmed civilian residents of Axum, many of whom were attempting to flee the violence.

Interviewed witnesses by Amnesty International (AI) and who were on the ground when the killing spree started, confessed that it is Eritrean soldiers who went on a rampage, shooting at civilian men and youths who were out on the streets attempting to flee. 

It was also confirmed by AI witnesses that rather than shooting fighters, Eritrean soldiers shot at men who posed no threat to them. They also confirmed that some of the Axum massacre victims carried no weapons and in many cases were running away from the soldiers when they were shot.

It is clear from witness statements that Eritrean soldiers killed civilians in front of their family members, including children during their house-to-house raids continued the report findings. The soldiers are reportedly guilty of attacking friends and relatives of the victims who tried to collect the bodies of those killed.

Interestingly, The AG’s Office report minimized the role of the Eritrean forces in the massacre, claiming that the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) fighters had distributed Ethiopian and Eritrean military uniforms to criminals released from prison.

Meanwhile, the United Nations released US$65 million for the humanitarian response in Ethiopia in early May 2021. More than 15 million people are reported to need humanitarian assistance throughout Ethiopia, including an estimated 4.5 million in the Tigray region. $40m of this will go to the people in Tigray and the remaining $25will be used to mitigate drought in Somali and Oromia regions.

In a statement to the media, UN humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock said that Ethiopian lives and livelihoods were being destroyed by drought, and children were suffering from malnutrition. Noting that six months into the conflict in Tigray, civilians continued to bear the brunt. Women and girls were being targeted with horrific sexual violence, and millions were struggling to access essential services and food, especially in some rural areas that were completely cut off. That is why there was the need to scale up the humanitarian response immediately.

The ongoing humanitarian response throughout Ethiopia, especially in Tigray, remains insufficient to meet the needs of most of the affected people. More funding is needed, alongside safe and unfettered humanitarian access, to ensure aid organizations and the Ethiopian Government can scale up to the level needed observed by the United Nations.

It remains to be seen how the Ethiopian authorities will react to this request for access to Tigray by humanitarian organizations. The locals need urgent help and politics should not play part in denying them that.