Experts call for a halt to the clashes in Tigray, Ethiopia, after an attack on a children’s playground

The International Commission of Experts on Human Rights for Ethiopia expressed great indignation at the recent resumption of hostilities between the government of Ethiopia and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Tigray and urged both sides to immediately stop the clashes.

“Such fights exacerbate the hardships of civilians in the region and carry the risk of escalation,” the experts noted.

Air attack

The Commission referred with deep concern to last Friday’s attack on a playground in Mekelle, the capital of the Tigray region, which would have caused the death of seven civilians, including several childrenaccording to unofficial information.

Press releases indicate that the attack was carried out by a government plane and took place in a context of renewed violence between the parties to the conflict that began in November 2020.

Hostilities broke out in the middle of last week on Tigray’s southeastern border, breaking a five month truce between government forces and the Liberation Front, agreed to allow humanitarian supplies into the region, which suffered a prolonged siege last year.

Human rights experts also mentioned alleged attacks on the civilian population during a new offense at Koboin the Amhara region.

“We call on the parties to immediately cease their confrontations and return to the dialogue process that they have accepted,” the Commission said in an official statement.

© UNICEF/ Esiey Leul

Displaced children fetching water in Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia.

humanitarian situation

He also urged both parties to immediately take all necessary measures to allow the United Nations and other agencies to carry out the distribution of humanitarian assistance in Tigray.

“The human rights, health and well-being of civilians must be the top priority of all parties,” the Commission emphasized.

According to UN data, close to the half of the six million inhabitants of Tigray suffer from hungerin addition to the fact that there is a serious shortage of medicines, fuel and money in circulation.

The region suffers from devastating drought for several years and the forecasts are grim: the World Meteorological Organization has warned that the lack of rainfall will continue, thus stringing together five consecutive failed rainy seasons.

The Human Rights Council The UN established in December 2021 the International Commission for Ethiopia with the mandate to determine the facts and circumstances related to the allegations of violations and abuses of international human rights and refugee law committed as of November 3, 2020.