Ethiopia war

ADDIS ABABA/NAIROBI –– Ethiopia’s state-appointed rights watchdog accused a Tigrayan youth group on Tuesday of killing hundreds of civilians as federal and local forces both claimed advances in a three-week war in the country’s mountainous north.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government said enemy soldiers were surrendering as it advanced towards the regional capital, but the Tigrayans reported they were resisting and had destroyed a prestigious army division. The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission published findings into a November 9 attack in Mai Kadra in southwest Tigray –– first reported by Amnesty International – where it said a youth group called Samri killed an estimated 600 civilians, mainly of Amharic descent. They were beaten to death, stabbed, set on fire and strangled with ropes, the report said, though some residents protected neighbours by hiding them in homes.