14m
18 Mar 2021

The Horrors of the Hidden War: Inside the Tigray conflict in Ethiopia

Africa Correspondent

Sexual violence against women – one of the horrific weapons of war. In Ethiopia where the conflict between Ethiopia’s national defence forces and Eritrean troops on one side, and fighters from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front has been raging since last November, thousands of women have been raped and tortured.

The Ethiopian prime Minister Abiy Ahmed won the 2019 Nobel peace prize for ending one of Africa’s longest-running conflicts. But he now presides over a country where his troops are accused of aiding the abuse and torture of innocent people.

Our Africa Correspondent Jamal Osman managed to get into Tigray . He went to Mekelle the capital of the region – where thousands have already fled and scores of women and young girls have been raped.

He is one of the first foreign journalists to hear the stories in person of the women who have suffered unimaginably at the hands of the soldiers who raped and tortured them. This report contains highly distressing testimony.

Field Producer: Amir Aman Kiyaro
Cameraman: Elias Tefaye
Cameraman: Daniel Aray