Ethiopia: Govt to Probe Video of Soldiers Burning Civilians

A video circulating on social media from Ethiopia showing armed men, some in military uniforms, burning civilians to death in the western part of the country will be investigated, and the perpetrators would be brought to justice, Addis Ababa announced on Saturday.

“A horrific and inhumane act was recently committed… In a series of horrific images circulated on social media, innocent civilians were burned to death,” said the Ethiopia Government Communication Service in a statement posted on their Facebook page.

The incident occurred in the Ayisid Kebele of Metekel Zone in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, according to the post. Hundreds of people died in this area from ethnic violence over the past year. This is different from the current civil war between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and Ethiopian government forces.

There was no additional information about when this occurred, or who was responsible for it.

“Regardless of their origin or identity, the government will take legal action against those responsible for this gross and inhumane act,” according to the statement.

The video was unable to be verified. Those wearing uniforms in the video include Ethiopian military uniforms and outfits from other regional security forces.

Ethiopian government and military spokespeople did not respond to requests for comment by Reuters newswire.