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Di fighting don finish, but di rapes still dey happun

A foto to represent di story

Wed, 15 Feb 2023 Source: BBC

Ethiopia goment bin sign peace deal with forces for di norther Tigray region last November to end dia two year civil war.

But aid groups and local pipo don tell BBC say attacks on civilians especially sexual abuse on women still dey go on

Dis tori get wetin fit vex or pain readers wey include sexual violence

Wen Ethiopia goment officials shake hands with dia rivals fron Tigray to make peace, Letay bin spend id night unde bridge dey hide from shells wey bin dey explode around am.

She bin dey alone for di north-east Tigray afta she survive rape by Eritrean soldier.

"Afta e happun, I pass out for long before I wake again. I gats hide myself till dem comot."

We don change Letay name and di oda rape survivors wey tell dia tori to BBC so dem no go suffer from di stigma or punishment.

For di two year fight-fight for northern Ethiopia, di United Nations, human rights groups and tori pipo bin dey tok about di sysematic rape of Tigray women by Ethiopian soldiers, allied Eritrea and militia groups.

Forces for Tigray also chop accuse say dem bin dey accuse of sexually assaulting women for di Amhara region as dem bin dey push enta Ethiopia capital.

For two years, from November 2020, di two sides for di civil war bin dey fight for control of Tigray. Di dead fit don enta hundreds of thousands.

Hope bin dey sat afta di peace agreement wey dem sign for November, attacks on civilians go stop.

Women, health workers and aid joinbodis don tell BBC say dem neva stop.

BBC tori pesin, Catherine Byaruhanga bin follow Letay tok for cracky phone network sake of say goment no allow tori pipo to travel go Tigray.

"E do me twice. Wetin I do wrong? E come be like say I wish am come."

Letay say dem don rape am before for January 2021 by two Eritrean soldiers and di third one refuse.

"Di two if dem do as dem like before dem ask di third one to do am too but e tok no. E say'Wetin I wan use am do? Na alreadi dead bodi dey lie dia.'"

Afta dem rape am di first time, Letay find medical and psychological help, wey carry am join one women support group for survivors. On di day of di peace deal, Letay bin rush go outside to help one small girl wey dem bin rape before dem also rape am too.

E de hard to know di real number of sexual assaults for dis war.

victims dey fear to comot tok wen dem cut off telecommunications during di war.

According to data from di official Tigray Health Bureau for November and December 2022 afta dem sign di peace deal, 852 cases bin det reported for centers dem arrange to help survivors.Human rights workers and aid joinbodi dem wey dey work for Tigray don continue dey document cases of sexual violence.

Adiama come from di town of Zalambesa for north eastern Tigray, say Eritrean soldier sexually assault am for di end of last month.

"Dem bin dey four but na only one rape me,. Dem bin even plan to kill me but comot afta im rape me."

Sister Mulu Mesfin wey don dey work with survivors since di kasla start, dey for di biggest hospital for di region capital Mekelle and send voice note as she bin dey waka for ward.

"Plenti survivors dey for my one stop centre. Dem dey come from different parts of Tigray. Most of dem na new cases wey dem don rape for di past one or two months."

According to Sister Mulu and oda health workers wey we follow tok, most of di rapes for Tigray na from Eritrea soldiers even as dem accuse sa Amhara region militia and federal goment forces also follow rape.

Eritrea get border with Tigray and don get long standing beef with di region ruling Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF)m nna why dem back Ethiopia goment to fight for di civil war.

Last week, Eritrea President wey no dey comot Isias Afwerki make rare public appearance for Kneya.

As e no get free press for im kontri, oga Isias bin vex wen dem ask am tough questions by tori pipo. Hoeva e tok say all di claims oatrocities by im kontri forces for Tigray na lie.

We don send di accuse for dis tori give di Ethiopia goment communications minister and di African Union, wey arrange di peace deal to comment but dem no ansa us.

November agreement don create positive change for Tigray like no more active fight-fight, aid like food and medicine don dey enta more towns and cities and banks and communication services don start again.

Some families don dey reunited andoda don follow each oda tok for di first time in more than one year. But article four of di agreement, "di parties go in particular condemn any act of sexual or gender-based violence."

Laetitia Bader, wey be di Horn Africa Director for Human Rights Watch say, "sexual violence na violation of di agreement. One of di issues wey we don dey hala na di need of di backers of di agreement to hala wen dem see violations".

She add say, "we dey concerned with wetin Ethiopia goment dey try end and go against di work of di international commission of human rights sabi pipo for Ethiopia wey di Human Rights Commission for Geneva establish".

Ms Bader say investigate go dey necessary if survivors go see justice and any reconciliation process.

Hilina say "I neva expect to dey assaulted afta di peace agreement".

Di mama of three don already run comot her house for Humera go Shirao town wia she dey sell maize for road.

She say on 16 November, she bin go house late wen two Eritrean troops stop am say she break curfew. She tell dem say she bin no get ID so dem carry her go empty house.

Satellite images wey dem take on 26 September wey Maxar Technologies release show di build up of wetin look like Eritrean or Ethiopian forces for Shiraro.

Hilina say she grab from di men appearance dia dialect say dem come from Eritrea.

She say, "dem carry me go empty house. Dem comot gun say, 'if you no tok pim, we no go harm you.' So I tell dem dem fit do as dem like, but abeg make dem no kill me".

Hilina say dem rape am for di whole night before dem allow am go fir mirning. She din do abortion since dat time say she prefer to die than to born pikin from rape.

According to aid workers wey di BBC follow tok, Eritrean forces dey near Shiraro.

Di peace deal say make dem comot Tigray and even though dem don comot major cities and towns, dem still dey for places close to dia border with Tigray.

Shashu, wey be 80 year old woman no fit stop to dey cry en we follow am tok for phon.

Like Letay, dem don rape Shashu two times twice for dis war. Both before and afta di peace deal.

She say di men wey rape am for November bad sotay, she no fit control her poopoo and piss now.

"Two, three pipo on one pesin. I bin dey completely traumatised. E be like say nothing good dey my bodi again"

Source: BBC