Ethiopian Embassy in USA Admonishes Holocaust Memorial Museum for Echoing "Genocide" Narrative Without Evidence

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Addis Ababa  October 28/2022 /ENA/  The Ethiopian Embassy in USA said it is deeply concerning to see Holocaust Memorial Museum, an institution dedicated to sensitizing 'citizens to confront hatred' engage in recklessly disseminating the sensational claim of imminent 'genocide' in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, forwarding propaganda by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) that stokes hatred among the people of Tigray for the Ethiopian Government.

The Holocaust Memorial Museum published on its website on 25th October 2022, "Museum Warns of Heightened Risk of Genocide, Mass Atrocities in Ethiopia."

The embassy noted that the museum seems to take the usual mantra of 'genocide' that has been the preoccupation of the TPLF and its supporters for the last two years at face value and publicize it as if it is fact.

“It is saddening that the museum chose to echo the narrative by the TPLF, without any evidence,” it stated.

The Holocaust Museum's claims also disregard the TPLF's horrendous atrocities on the people of Amhara and Afar regions, which begs one to question its motive.

Ethiopia has a credible Human Rights institution and fairness would have compelled the Holocaust Museum to have adequate consultation with it before publishing such an unsubstantiated statement, the embassy stressed.

The embassy encourages the museum to seek objective assessments before issuing such a grim claim to maintain its credibility.

The statement underscored that the Government of Ethiopia has demonstrated its commitment to human rights of its citizens by facilitating a joint investigation by the Ethiopian Human Rights Council and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Tigray Region.

It also established a Joint Ministerial Task Force to implement the recommendations of the Joint Investigation Team's report and is taking measures to establish accountability.

It should also be noted that the Government of Ethiopia is committed to solve the present conflict peacefully. Months ago, the government declared that it was ready to negotiate without any preconditions. Conversely, the TPLF has dragged its feet with endless conditions.

The Government of Ethiopia has also unilaterally declared a humanitarian truce on March 24, 2022. It facilitated access to essential humanitarian assistance until the TPLF broke that ceasefire on August 24, 2022, by invading (for a third time) the Amhara and Afar regions. The timing of this statement is unfortunate, as it may further impede the peace talks, which are happening now, in South Africa.

The government has a constitutional obligation to preserve the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country, protect the safety of its citizens and ensure the provision of humanitarian assistance as well as services.

Therefore, its interest in the present conflict is to fulfill this duty with all the necessary care to mitigate civilian casualties by avoiding fighting in urban areas.

The Government of Ethiopia is working with humanitarian partners to expedite humanitarian assistance to all in need, starting with those in areas under its control via new humanitarian corridors by land and air.

It has also initiated technical assessment missions with a view to expediting resumption of essential services (banks, telecom and electricity) in areas under its control.

The government remains committed to achieving a lasting, peaceful solution to the conflict, and is committed to the peace talks under the auspices of the African Union that are underway.

“We (therefore) implore the Holocaust Memorial Museum to present more carefully, the facts of the conflict in Tigray moving forward inaccuracies like those presented on October 25, risk emboldening further aggression on Ethiopia and other parts of the world where democracy is under threat. Your readers deserve to know the truth about the causes of this conflict,” the embassy stressed.

Ethiopian News Agency
2023