UN confronts Ethiopia over atrocities in Tigray region
NEW YORK – The United Nations Security Council [UNSC] stepped up efforts to restore peace and stability in the Tigray region, for the first time instructing the Ethiopian government to “cooperate” to help millions of “hungry” nationals by giving them humanitarian access.
Since war broke out in November 2020 when the Ethiopian National Defense Forces [ENDF] led an operation against the Popular Front for the Liberation of Tigray [TPLF] fighters, now Tigray Defense Force [TDF], thousands of people are believed to have died, millions displaced and hundreds tortured.
Last week, ENDF and Eritrean troops withdrew from Tigray as a good gesture for a “ceasefire”, but vowed to return “if they dared to attack the Amhara people in Tigray” . But the TDF claimed victory, arguing that “we have defeated them, we are pursuing them now”.
But the UN, which has remained visibly silent on the Tigray issue, fired during Friday’s session, with most speakers stressing the need to restore order and stability in the northern state. Ethiopia, which has rebelled again in Addis Ababa since 2018.
“One of the most worrying trends is an alarming increase in food insecurity and hunger due to conflict,” acting UN humanitarian coordinator Ramesh Rajasingham told diplomats. “It is estimated that more than 400,000 people have crossed the threshold of famine and an additional 1.8 million people are on the brink of famine.”
Most of the displaced have fled to neighboring Sudan, which is also struggling with its own internal challenges. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has been blamed for the chaos, although he insisted that “we are pursuing the terrorists in our peaceful country”.
The most worrying in the Tigray region for the international community is the inaccessibility of certain areas of Tigray where the population is in urgent need of humanitarian aid. One of the bridges connecting the region was destroyed by ENDF.
“Basic services to support humanitarian delivery are missing. Mekele [Tigray’s capital] has neither electricity nor internet. Key infrastructure has been destroyed and there are no flights entering or leaving the area, ”UN Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo said.
“There must be accountable for the serious human rights violations committed during the conflict, including acts of sexual violence against children and adults and massacres,” DiCarlo added, warning, “there is a potential for further confrontation and a rapid deterioration of the security situation, which is of great concern. “
For months, the United States has been particularly concerned about the humanitarian crisis in Tigray and has even openly called for the withdrawal of ENDF, Eritrean and Amhara regional forces from the ravaged region. A number of officials have been slapped with travel sanctions.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the American envoy to the United Nations, insisted that the world must come out and demonstrate that the lives of Tigrayans matter. She described the steps Washington has taken so far to avoid the crisis.
“The United States has already acted… the parties to the conflict know that we are watching them, and we are watching them closely. This is the first opportunity for us to show that African lives matter as much as other lives in the world, ”she said.
“We need to see a permanent ceasefire that all parties agree to. We must see the Eritrean troops return. We need to see unfettered access for aid workers. We must see the responsibility for the atrocities that have been committed. , “she added.
Alex de Waal, executive director of the World Peace Foundation, affiliated with Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, which closely follows Ethiopia, said the risk of the international community not sending a message strong is that “ethnic violence… could lead to the disintegration of Ethiopia.
Ethiopian Ambassador to the UN Taye Atske Selassie questioned the purpose of the meeting on Friday and accused Tigrayian forces of atrocities, but he also appears to have received the message from world powers at the meeting. He said those responsible for the atrocities will be held accountable and spoke of “national dialogue”.
Irish Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason, one of the first co-sponsors of the convening of the meeting with the United States and the United Kingdom, said that “Council members have the opportunity to send an clear message to the parties on the ground: this conflict must end ”.
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