UN: Conflict has ‘appalling impact on civilians’

NAIROBI (AP):

Ethiopia’s situation is “spiralling out of control with appalling impact on civilians” and urgently needs outside monitoring, the United Nations human rights chief warned Wednesday, but Ethiopia rejects calls for independent investigations into the deadly fighting in its Tigray region, saying it “doesn’t need a babysitter”.

The government’s declaration came amid international calls for more transparency into the month-long fighting between Ethiopian forces and those of the fugitive Tigray regional government that is thought to have killed thousands, including civilians. At least one large-scale massacre has been documented by human rights groups, and others are feared.

Senior government official Redwan Hussein told reporters on Tuesday evening that Ethiopia will invite assistance only if it feels that “it failed to investigate”. To assume it can’t carry out such probes “is belittling the government”, he said.

Frustration is growing as the northern Tigray region remains largely cut off from the world, with food and medicines desperately needed by the population of six million – some one million now thought to be displaced.

The lack of transparency, with most communications and transport links severed, complicates efforts to verify the warring side’s claims.

It also hides the extent of atrocities feared to have been committed since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on November 4 announced that fighting had begun with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, which dominated Ethiopia’s government for nearly three decades before he came to power and sidelined it.

Each government now regards the other as illegal, as the TPLF objects to the postponement of national elections until next year because of the COVID-19 pandemic and sees Abiy’s mandate as expired.

UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet called the situation “exceedingly worrying and volatile” with fighting reported to continue in areas surrounding the Tigray capital, Mekele, and the towns of Sheraro and Axum, “in spite of government claims to the contrary”.

Gross Human Rights Violations

“We have corroborated information of gross human rights violations and abuses including indiscriminate attacks against civilians and civilian objects, looting, abductions and sexual violence against women and girls,” Bachelet told reporters. “There are reports of forced recruitment of Tigrayan youth to fight against their own communities.”

However, she said, “We have been unable to access the worst affected areas.”

Ethiopia’s government objects to what it calls “interference” from efforts at dialogue to delivering aid, drawing on its history as the rare African country never colonised, a source of deep national pride.