News HRW Condemns Systemic Persecution, Arbitrary Detentions in Western Tigray
HRW Condemns Systemic Persecution, Arbitrary Detentions in Western Tigray
April 25, 2026
Zonal Administration labels accusations TPLF-linked propaganda
Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the administration of the disputed Welkait Tegede Setit Humera (WTSH) zone issued conflicting reports this week regarding the status of ethnic Tigrayans in the contested border region of Ethiopia.
In a statement released April 22, 2026, HRW reported that security forces in the zone carry out arbitrary detentions and impose restrictions on the movement, employment, and service access of Tigrayan residents.
The rights group stated that these conditions have turned Tigrayans into “effectively second-class citizens” and forced many to flee to displaced persons camps in central Tigray, which currently house 740,000 people from the area.
“Tigrayans in Western Tigray Zone are facing severe and dehumanizing restrictions on all aspects of their lives,” stated Laetitia Bader, deputy Africa director at Human Rights Watch.
According to the statement, the report was compiled from testimonies provided by 40 current residents of Western Tigray and 17 individuals who have fled the area since December 2025. Additionally, the findings incorporated first-hand accounts from eight aid agency staff members, diplomats, and various subject-matter experts.
HRW also documented that local authorities require Tigrayans to obtain permits from ward offices to travel, which officials typically restrict to medical reasons.
However, the Welkait Tegede Setit Humera Zone Administration responded on April 24, 2026, describing the HRW findings as “false allegations” and a “predetermined narrative.”
The administration argued that the use of remote interviews fails to verify the motivations of sources, suggesting links to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
“There is a reasonable basis to consider that some sources may be affiliated with organized advocacy networks rather than reflecting the views of the general local population,” stated the administration.
It also rejected the “contested Western Tigray” label, citing historical claims and the 1991 incorporation of the area into the Tigray Regional State.
The HRW report included testimony from residents who stated they cannot access bank accounts or land due to a lack of identification cards.
“We are denied IDs,” one Tigrayan man told researchers. “This means we can’t access our bank accounts; we can’t access our land. Tigrayans are only allowed to work as day laborers.”
In its rebuttal, the zonal administration asserted that thousands of Tigrayans live peacefully in the zone and that officials have welcomed the return of displaced persons, provided they have no involvement in criminal acts.
It stated it remains committed to “resolving issues through constitutional and legal mechanisms” and “upholding the rule of law.”
While HRW called on the Ethiopian government to investigate interim authorities and allow independent monitors access to the region, the zonal administration concluded by urging the international community to ignore the report’s claims and support “Ethiopian-led peace processes.”
The Tigray Independence Party (TIP) issued a statement on April 23 supporting the findings of the Human Rights Watch report.
The party says the report exposes the “relentless and systematic persecution” of Tigrayans in the area. Although the Pretoria Agreement was signed nearly four years ago, the party said that the promises of peace and the restoration of constitutional order remain a “nightmare” for the population.
“This is not mere instability; it is a state-sanctioned campaign to make life untenable for Tigrayans, forcing them to survive as day laborers under conditions akin to slavery,” reads its statement.
Speaking to The Reporter, Gebreselassie Kiros, an executive member of TIP, said that they also documented continued atrocities and ethnic cleansing against Tigrayans in Western Tigray.
The TIP official leveled heavy accusations against the federal government, asserting that it is directly responsible for the campaign of violence and the stalled return of internally displaced persons (IDPs).
Gebreselassie emphasized that the federal government remains the primary actor to be held accountable for war crimes and ethnic cleansing in the region. He noted that daily reports from the ground indicate severe cultural and identity-based persecution, such as residents being imprisoned or fined up to 5,000 Birr simply for playing Tigrinya music.
“Without any justification, whatever bad happens to Tigrayans in Western Tigray, the one to be held accountable is the federal government,” he told The Reporter.