Ethiopia rejects US allegations of ‘ethnic cleansing’ in Tigray

Gov’t in Addis Ababa says accusation ‘unfounded’, after Washington decried ‘unacceptable’ situation in embattled region.

Ethiopia has rejected United States allegations of acts of ethnic cleansing in its embattled Tigray region, calling them a “completely unfounded and spurious verdict” against the government in Addis Ababa. Testifying before Congress on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he wanted to see forces from neighbouring Eritrea and those from the Amhara region replaced in Tigray by security forces that will respect human rights and not “commit acts of ethnic cleansing”. In a statement on Saturday, the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it “vehemently opposes such accusations”.