According to a CNN investigation, Ethiopia’s government has used the country’s commercial airline to shuttle weapons in and out of Eritrea during the civil war in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. Arms were transported between Addis Ababa’s international airport and the airports in the Eritrean cities of Asmara and MAssawa. The weapons were transported on multiple Ethiopian Airlines planes during the first weeks of the Tigray crisis in November of 2020.
This weapons trade was not documented during the civil war, and may violate an international aviation law the forbids smuggling of arms for military use on commercial aircrafts. Other crimes committed during the civil war also violate the terms of a trade program that allows Ethiopia and specifically Ethiopian Airlines to have access to the United States market. Ethiopian Airlines is a state owned airline company that belongs to the Star Alliance, a group of top aviation companies worldwide. The airline denies transporting weapons, and the governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea have not responded to the report.
Read more: Ethiopia used its flagship commercial airline to transport weapons during war in Tigray
