BY MISGANAW ASNAKE
ADDIS ABABA– A well-known ethnic Tigray academician serving in the state prior to the war said the rape and genocide allegation against the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) is a big lie orchestrated by the Terrorist TPLF.
Speaking to local media, the academician Prof. Haregewein Asefa, who noted her stay in Tigray before the war broke out, stressed that she has a firsthand experience for the genocide and rape allegation is a white lie. “As far as I concerned, rape shouldn’t be used for political game and as a woman I feel being insulted by T-TPLF’s use of reenactment video clips to substantiate its false rape claim. We are like toys to be used by the faction.”
“When I was in Tigray, if you check my Facebook posts in December 2019 and May 2020, I was appealing to lawyers to make history because I had all facts I did not receive second hand information.
The level of rape in Tigray was very high; I saw recently Tigray was the second state in the level of rape before the war started even it may be the first one. Maybe it wasn’t calculated proportionally but Tigray should definitely be the highest in rape incidents.”
The academician further highlighted that rape committed on adult females in the pre-war Tigray isn’t even recorded. In a town called DaEro, one policeman raped over 50 women and activists were not allowed to reveal by authorities in Mekelle. Rape was committed on 2, 3 and 8 years old children and this is not rumor, rather substantiated by evidence. Once the person convicted of raping a 6 year- old- girl was released in a 50,000 Birr bail.
“This shows how women are disrespected in Tigray. Thus, this genocide and rape claims by T-TPLF is a lie. Even those who are supposed to be scholars still chant these claims, how can we call these people scholars? A scholar should look at the facts and make an opinion. Otherwise to me these people aren’t scholars.”
It is to be recalled that a reportedly leaked audio of the United Nations agencies staffs on August 2021 revealed that no concrete facts have confirmed the claims of sexual violence against women in Tigray. What stands out from the leaked video is that the allegations were primarily based on anecdotal evidence.
By the same token, the then IOM Chief of Mission to Ethiopia Maureen Achieng gave a testimony that there is no verified information to assert the execution sexual violence by members of the ENDF and all the ‘evidence’ remains anecdotal and dubious.
The Ethiopian Herald July 1/2022
