Rights groups report wave of abuses against Tigrayans in Ethiopian region

Civilians walk past a military tank destroyed during fighting between the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) forces the roadside in Damot Kebele of Amhara region, Ethiopia, December 7, 2021. REUTERS/Kumera Gemechu/Files

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Armed forces from Ethiopia's Amhara region have stepped up killings, mass detentions and expulsions of ethnic Tigrayans in neighbouring western Tigray, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Thursday.

Separately, Tigrayan television reported that air raids by the Ethiopian military on the town of Alamata, in southern Tigray, had killed 28 people. Reuters could not independently verify the report and telephone links to the area are down. Government and military spokespeople did not return messages seeking comment.