Tigray rebel fighters raped, robbed and assaulted women after taking control of a town in Ethiopia's Amhara region in August, according to a new report by Amnesty International.

Sixteen survivors from Nifas Mewcha town interviewed by Amnesty described being raped at gunpoint by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) fighters.

Most of the women were gang raped by the attackers who also looted and destroyed medical facilities.

“The testimonies we heard from survivors describe despicable acts by TPLF fighters that amount to war crimes, and potentially crimes against humanity. They defy morality or any iota of humanity,” said Agnès Callamard, the secretary general of Amnesty International.

With the destruction of the health facilities and the security situation, survivors have been unable to get comprehensive medical care since the attack.

They said they still suffered from physical and mental health problems, including back pain, bloody urine, difficulty walking, anxiety and depression.

Amnesty has asked the TPLF fighters to stop the human rights abuses "including sexual and gender-based violence”.

A spokesperson for the TPLF posted on Twitter that the latest report was an effort at “establishing impartiality”.

Just got wind of a new report 2morrow by #Amnestyinternational aimed at establishing its impartiality by apportioning guilt b/n villains&victims-#AbiyAhmed&Tigrayans:#Debretsion’s OpEd springs to mind: https://t.co/XrITZ3t0oy

— Getachew K Reda (@reda_getachew) November 9, 2021

Amnesty has previously documented widespread rape and sexual violence by government-allied troops and militias in Tigray.

It has asked the government to support the victims and ensure that the cases are investigated.Article share tools