US calls for investigation into alleged civilian killings in Ethiopia’s Amhara region

By The Associated Press

The U.S. is calling for an investigation into an alleged massacre of civilians in Ethiopia’s Amhara region, where a local rights group says more than 80 people were killed last week following clashes between soldiers and armed groups. The U.S. ambassador to Ethiopia, Ervin Massinga, said the U.S. government is deeply concerned by the reports from the town of Merawi and called for “unfettered access by independent human rights monitors as well as an impartial investigation to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice.” A rebellion broke out in Amhara last April when the government moved to dissolve regional forces and absorb them into the federal army.