Tigrayan rebels rejected allegations that they killed scores of villagers in a neighboring region of northern Ethiopia earlier this month, a spokesman said Wednesday.

“We categorically deny claims of our forces’ involvement in the killing of civilians,” Getachew Reda, spokesman for the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, said on Twitter.

His comments came in response to reports that at least 125 civilians were killed by TPLF forces in the village of Chenna in the Amhara region which lies to the south of Tigray.

Mulugeta Melesa, head of the hospital in nearby Dabat town, told AFP he had seen a mass grave and that there were 125 dead, with a search still going on for more bodies.

The death toll could not be independently verified and AFP was not able to confirm whether those killed were civilians or combatants.

“We reiterate our call for an independent investigation into all atrocities and our willingness to facilitate media access to areas under our control for independent verification of any allegations,” Getachew added.