A United Nations (UN) expert’s panel on Monday said there are reasonable grounds to belive that Ethiopia’s government was behind ongoing crimes against humanity in the embattled Tigray region, reported The France 24. It warned that the resumption of the conflict in Tigray could increase the risk of “further atrocity crimes”.
In its first report, the Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia said it had found evidence that prove that all sides committed widespread violations since fighting began in the northern Tigray region in November 2020.
The commission was created by the UN Human Rights Council last year and includes three independent rights experts. The report was issued as fighting resumed between the Ethiopian government and its allies, and the Tigrayan forces following a tense five-month cessation of hostilities.
It said that it had reasonable grounds to believe that the violations, in several instances, amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The experts highlighted Tigray’s deteriorating situation, where around six million people don’t have access to basic services, including the internet and banking, for over a year, and where severe restrictions on humanitarian access have left almost 90 percent of the population in dire need of assistance.
The report said there were “reasonable grounds to believe that the Federal Government and allied regional State governments have committed and continue to commit the crimes against humanity of persecution on ethnic grounds and other inhumane acts.”
In a statement, Commission Chair Kaari Betty Murungi described the humanitarian crisis in Tigray as extremely shocking, both in terms of scale and duration.
She said the widespread denial and obstruction in providing basic services, food, healthcare, and humanitarian assistance to the needy civilian population amounts to a crime against humanity.
The UN expert said that they also have reasonable grounds to believe that the Federal Government is using starvation as a method of warfare. She urged the Ethiopian the government to immediately restore basic services and ensure full and unfettered humanitarian access.
