The G7 group of countries including the United States, Germany, France, Canada, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom on Friday called on for an independent and transparent investigation into alleged human rights abuses in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region, reported Reuters.
The G7 group called for the withdrawal of Eritrean troops from the conflict-hit Tigray region. The call was made after Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed finally acknowledged the presence of Eritrean forces in the country and said that the forces would leave the region. Eritrea had previously denied its forces joined the conflict.
The Ethiopian army ousted the former regional ruling party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), from Mekelle in November. Thousands of people died in the clashes, hundreds of thousands have been forced from their homes. The government says most fighting has stopped but there are still isolated incidents of shooting.
“All parties must exercise utmost restraint, ensure the protection of civilians and respect human rights and international law,” the G7 foreign ministers and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell noted in a joint statement.
“It is essential that there is an independent, transparent and impartial investigation into the crimes reported and that those responsible for these human rights abuses are held to account,” the ministers said.
They called for a swift, unconditional and verifiable withdrawal of Eritrean forces from Tigray and demanded for the set up of a political process acceptable to all Ethiopians, including those in Tigray that would pave the way for credible elections and a national reconciliation process.
The statement also said unhindered humanitarian access must be granted to the people of Ethiopia immediately.
Ethiopia’s foreign ministry said in March it was ready to work with international human rights experts to conduct investigations on allegations of abuses. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have both accused Eritrean soldiers of carrying out a massacre of hundreds of Tigrayans in the town of Axum.
