When the historical city was under the illegal occupation of the TPLF, the facility was looted and destroyed in a disgusting, atrocious and unconscionable manner, the Department’s head Seid Aragaw said in a public appearance.

Many of that organization’s members stole priceless heirlooms and relics, and also demolished almost all of the legendary and heritage treasures in this area that they could not remove from the exhibition halls, he said.

According to Aragaw, among the looted or ruined pieces are the “telephone set through which Emperor Menelik II talked to the then French and Djiboutian governors, plus some armaments used in the battle of Adowa.”

The war between the government and the TPLF, the ruling political party in Tigray, accused of subverting order, violating human rights, massacring civilians and other crimes, began in November 2020.

More than once since mid-2021, the Ethiopian Government asked UNESCO and other international agencies to denounce the atrocities, attributed to the group, on parishes, mosques, museums, historic sites and tourist attraction, among others.

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