Ask for “effective remedies” and “an adequate repair” for the victims of the conflict in Tigray
Nov. 3 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, highlighted this Thursday that the agreement between the Government of Ethiopia and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Tigray (TPLF) for a cessation of hostilities in an “encouraging and courageous” step “Towards an end of the two years of conflict.
Turk, who has lamented that the conflict “has caused many deaths, widespread displacement and untold suffering and ruin”, has stressed that the pact places a “firm emphasis” on Human Rights.
Thus, he stressed that the agreement “condemns sexual and gender violence, violence against boys, girls, women and the elderly and includes a commitment to apply an exhaustive national justice justice policy.”
“Consultations with all relevant actors, including victims and civil society, will be crucial in the design of this policy,” he praised, while valuing that “the application of these commitments (…) is key to guarantee accountability for serious violations of human rights and humanitarian law. “
“Effective remedies and adequate reparation will be key for the victims and will promote reconciliation and national healing,” he said, before asking the parties to “guarantee that Human Rights continue to be a central point when applying the agreement”.
In this sense, Turk has outlined that his office “will be available to support the parties when applying the agreement, in particular on the point of accountability and transitional justice”, at the same time that he has stressed that “regular monitoring is crucial to prevent violations and abuses of Human Rights in all areas affected by hostilities.”
The Ethiopian government and the TPLF released a statement on Wednesday in which they pledged to apply “transitional measures” to restore constitutional order in the Tigray region (north), as well as to develop a framework to resolve differences. policies and another to guarantee accountability.
The conflict in Tigray broke out in November 2020 after an attack by the TPLF against the main Army base, located in Mekelle, after which the Abiy Ahmed government ordered an offensive against the group after months of political and administrative tensions. A “humanitarian truce” is currently in force, although both sides have accused each other of preventing the delivery of aid.
The TPLF has accused Abiy of stirring up tensions since he came to power in April 2018, when he became the first Oromo to take office. Until then, the TPLF had been the dominant force within the ethnically based coalition that had governed Ethiopia since 1991, the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). The group opposed Abiy’s reforms, seeing them as an attempt to undermine his influence.
