Charity says staff 'witnessed army killings' in Tigray

By Ashley Lime

Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) says its staff on Tuesday witnessed Ethiopian soldiers shoot dead four civilians in the northern Tigray region.

In a statement, MSF said members of its staff who were travelling witnessed the incident that took place on a road that connects the state capital, Mekele, to Adigrat.

"The soldiers then forced the passengers to leave the minibuses. The men were separated from the women, who were allowed to walk away. Shortly after, the men were shot," it said in a statement

It said that its workers also saw "what appeared to be the aftermath of an ambush of an Ethiopian military convoy, by another armed group, in which soldiers were injured and killed".

"Military vehicles were still on fire," it said.

The agency has called for the protection of civilians during the conflict.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed told MPs that soldiers found to have committed atrocities in Tigray will be held "accountable".

The prime minister ordered the military offensive in November last year after fighters allied to the regional administration in Tigray attacked a military base housing government troops.

The fighting has reportedly killed thousands of people and displaced hundreds of thousands.

This article was originally published by BBC News. [Photo: AFP/Eduardo Soteras]