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Ten prisons and documentation of all inmates in Tigray were destroyed when the Tigray regional government, which was under the control of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), collapsed in November 2020, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission revealed.
The Commission, when releasing the findings of its monitoring and investigative mission in the region, which took place from January 10 to 23, 2021, citing the interim administration of the region, said that the dispersal of the prisoners made almost impossible the task of tracking down major offenders. .
Hence, it is one of the causes of the substantial increase in looting, gender violence and other serious crimes based on what the interim administration reported to the Commission. Rape and sexual violence against civilians have been committed in five locations in the regional states of Tigray.
According to the Commission, the information obtained from health professionals and the regional health office indicates that in the last two months alone, 108 cases of rape have been reported to health facilities.
Efforts to return and fully equip former members of the local police for their role are making only limited progress, the Commission said, while noting that the resources available to federal security forces do not match the needs of the region.
The fighting in the region, which has left more than 2.5 million people in need of urgent assistance, has also dealt a severe blow to government structures, while public offices have not yet resumed operations in the region.
“The war has left the regional government structure in shambles and caused physical damage to key infrastructure systems. This has caused serious gaps in the provision of local administrative, security and protection services, as well as in basic social services, ”the Commission said.
The interim administration is attempting to rebuild the civil service in the region, despite facing complex challenges.
Citing the interim administration, the Commission said that the presence of Eritrean soldiers in the northwest and east of Tigray, and the fall of the western and southern areas of Tigray, under the control of the administration of the Amhara region, adds to the challenge of fully reestablishing the regional governmental structure.
The Commission also noted that the slow progress of efforts to restore infrastructure and fully resume social and administrative services in the Tigray region is exposing residents and internally displaced persons to further human rights violations. He has received reports of loss of life, bodily and mental injuries, cases of gender-based violence, looting and other human rights violations, even in areas of Tigray that he has not yet been able to access.
“Local structures like the police and health facilities that victims of sexual violence would normally go to to report such crimes no longer exist. Therefore, there is the possibility that the actual number of cases is higher and more generalized than the reported cases, ”the report reads.
While the Commission noted some improvements in the delivery of humanitarian assistance in Mekelle and other areas it visited, further efforts are still required to meet the scope of humanitarian needs in time.
People displaced to Mekelle from other parts of the region still face shortages of food, clean water and insufficient provision of health services. The current security situation in parts of Tigray and the constant disruption of health services has forced the injured and the families of the injured to walk long distances to obtain medical help.
When the Commission visited the children’s inpatient wing of Ayder Hospital, 16 of the 20 children who were being treated for trauma had suffered injuries as a result of the war. Some of the hospitalized children have lost at least one part of their body or suffered some other form of bodily injury. Medical professionals also confirm that one of the main reasons for injuries to children in particular is “land mines and hand grenades left on the ground.”
The statement quoted ECHR Chief Commissioner Daniel Bekele (PhD) as saying: “While there are many indications and reports of the scale of human rights violations occurring in the Tigray region, the full overview of the full scope of its impact on the civilian population is still hampered by the security situation. The Commission will continue its follow-up work and carry out investigations ”.
While reiterating the Commission’s previous calls regarding the loss of life and internal displacement resulting from the war, it strongly urged “More focused and immediate action to end the alarming and deplorable human rights violations caused by the gender violence and injuries to children “.
