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United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York City, on November 20, 2020. / Reuters
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York City, on November 20, 2020. / Reuters
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is “deeply concerned” by the situation in Ethiopia’s Tigray region and called on all parties to reduce tensions, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Tuesday.
“Amid reports of a possible military offensive in the regional capital of Mekelle, he urges Ethiopia’s leaders to do everything possible to protect civilians, defend human rights and ensure humanitarian access for the delivery of aid that they need so much, “Dujarric said in a statement.
Related story: Ethiopia bombs Tigrayan capital, rejects international mediation
Ethiopia mobilized for war in the northern region of Tigray. / AFP
Ethiopia mobilized for war in the northern region of Tigray. / AFP
Tragic conflict: massacre of civilians and refugees
A group of Tigray youths were charged Tuesday with killing hundreds of civilians when federal and local forces demanded advances in a three-week war in the mountainous north of the country.
The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission released the findings of a November 9 attack on Mai Kadra in southwest Tigray, where it said that a group of youths named Samri killed some 600 civilians, mainly of Amharic descent.
They were beaten to death, stabbed, burned and strangled with ropes, according to the report, although some residents protected neighbors by hiding them in their homes. The commission accused local forces of conspiring in the “massacre.” The Tigray Popular Liberation Front (TPLF) had previously denied participation.
Since the fighting began on November 4, hundreds have died, more than 41,000 refugees have fled to Sudan and there has been widespread destruction and uprooting of people from their homes.
The war has spread to Eritrea, where Tigrayans have fired rockets, and also affected Somalia, where Ethiopia has disarmed several hundred Tigrayans into a peacekeeping force fighting al Qaeda-linked militants. The government said the peacekeepers were being investigated for ties to the TPLF.
The conflict threatens to destabilize the vast nation of 115 million people from a myriad of ethnic groups whose struggles for greater resources and power intensified when Abiy took office.
Ethiopian refugees en route to Qadarif, eastern Sudan, November 24, 2020. / CFP
Ethiopian refugees en route to Qadarif, eastern Sudan, November 24, 2020. / CFP
International efforts to end the ongoing conflict
The United States, France, and Great Britain were the last foreign powers to ask for peace. Washington backed the African Union (AU) mediation efforts “to end this tragic conflict now,” while Paris and London warned against ethnic discrimination.
The situation in Ethiopia was reportedly raised behind closed doors at the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday by Britain and other European countries in the 15-member body.
South Africa, Niger and Tunisia are reported to have requested more time for regional efforts to address the situation before the Security Council considers any action.
“The UN Security Council must do everything in its power to prevent a humanitarian and human rights disaster in Ethiopia,” Louis Charbonneau, UN director for Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.
(With input from Reuters)
