They accuse the Army of the death of civilians and rapes and sexual violence “widespread” against Tigrayan women and girls
Sep. 20 (EUROPA PRESS) –
United Nations investigators have denounced possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in the framework of the conflict unleashed in November 2020 in the Ethiopian region of Tigray (north) and have warned that the upturn in fighting in recent weeks could lead to “new atrocities”.
The UN International Commission of Human Rights Experts has indicated in its report that “there are reasonable grounds to believe that violations such as extrajudicial executions, rape, sexual violence and starvation of the civilian population as a means of war have been committed in Ethiopia from November 3, 2020.”
“The commission finds reasonable grounds to believe that, in multiple instances, these violations amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity,” it said.
Thus, it has detailed that among its conclusions are “reasonable grounds” to believe that the Ethiopian Army was behind an artillery attack on November 28, 2020 against the capital of Tigray, Mekelle, which caused victims among the civilian population.
“Ethiopian Army soldiers committed widespread extrajudicial executions, rape and other forms of sexual violence and looting during the seven-month period between November 28, 2020 and June 28, 2021,” it has denounced.
In addition, it has pointed to the Army as responsible for a drone attack in January 2022 against a camp for displaced persons that killed and injured 60 civilians, before holding the Popular Front for the Liberation of Tigray (TPLF) responsible for murders, rapes and looting. in Kobo and Chenna between August and September 2021.
Researchers have denounced that sexual and gender-based violence, and in particular rape, has been perpetrated “on an overwhelming scale” since the start of the conflict. “While different communities have been affected, Tigrayan women and girls have been victims of particular violence and brutality,” she lamented.
In this way, he has pointed out that “rape and sexual violence against Tigrayan women and girls was widespread when the Army was under control of large parts of the Tigray region” and has revealed that despite the fact that more than a thousand complaints have been received Tigray authorities believe the figure could be “significantly higher”.
“Many of the violations documented by the commission were gang rapes perpetrated by members of the Ethiopian Army, the Eritrean Army or (the Amhara militia) Fano,” he detailed.
“In some cases, those responsible held the victims as sexual slaves for days or weeks, subjecting them to repeated rapes. The women were raped in front of their children or other relatives,” he said, before emphasizing that these acts ” they were often accompanied by other forms of violence designed to humiliate them”.
The researchers have also highlighted that “Tigrayan forces have also committed acts of rape and sexual violence” and have detailed that “many of these acts took place when the Tigrayan forces took control of parts of Amhara from August 2021”.
“Women and girls have said they were raped or gang-raped by Tigrayan fighters in their homes during raids or when hiding with friends or family,” they said. “In many cases, Tigrayan forces told their victims that the rapes were revenge for the widespread rapes of Tigrayan women and girls,” they added.
“Tigrayan forces have also committed acts of rape or sexual violence against Eritrean refugees. This includes the rape of two refugees, including a child, when they fled their camp in 2022,” they noted in their report.
On the other hand, they have highlighted that nearly 20 million people need humanitarian aid and protection in Ethiopia, three quarters of whom are women and children, while the conflict in northern Ethiopia has led to displacement, destruction is essential infrastructure and lack of basic services.
The commission has indicated that there is also “reasonable evidence” to believe that “the federal government and allied regional governments have applied a range of measures designed to systematically deprive the people of Tigray of materials and services essential to their survival, including health, shelter, water, hygiene, education and food”.
“EXTENSIVE” INVESTIGATIONS ON KILLINGS
For all these reasons, he has asked for an exhaustive investigation of the “large-scale massacres” in Tigray and Oromia –where the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) has been accused of numerous attacks–, as well as the “indiscriminate attacks” of the TPLF against towns in Afar and the killing of civilians by forces from this region.
“The commission is deeply concerned by its findings because they reflect a deep polarization and hatred along ethnic lines in Ethiopia. This has created a worrying cycle of extreme violence and revenge that raises the imminent threat of more pronounced atrocities,” he warned.
In this sense, he has said that there is currently a “dissemination of hate speech”, “a politicization of identity”, “a proliferation of local militias and other armed groups”, “particularly dehumanizing types of violence caused civilians based on their identity”, “strict controls on communication channels, including Internet blockades”, “arbitrary arrests on ethnic grounds” and “obstruction of humanitarian access and attacks against humanitarian workers”.
Thus, it has requested an “immediate end to hostilities and human rights violations”, measures to protect civilians and the cessation of “all activities that may trigger atrocities, including the dissemination of hate speech.”
The commission has also called on the Ethiopian government to guarantee unrestricted access to humanitarian organizations, to “commit” to a peace process and to “investigate and bring to justice members of its forces responsible for serious violations of the Human rights”.
Finally, he has asked Eritrea to also investigate the Eritrean military responsible for abuse and has asked the TPLF to “fulfill their responsibility to ensure that humanitarian agencies can operate without impediment in Tigray”, commit to a peace process and guarantee also accountability among its forces for the aforementioned abuses.
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