Category: Press Release

On the occasion of the recent declaration of a “humanitarian truce” issued by the Ethiopian Government on March 24, 2022, we, the undersigned Tigrayan and ally advocacy and philanthropic groups, strongly condemn the continued siege of Tigray. 

In a recent statement addressing the current humanitarian situation, the FDRE Government Communication Services granted several international humanitarian organizations air transportation access. Air transportation, however, cannot be considered a viable option for solving the humanitarian crisis in Tigray as it is more costly and delivers limited supplies. The Ethiopian Government has attributed the lack of humanitarian aid delivered by ground transport to the fighting in Abala, Afar. However, this is an unsatisfactory explanation as Tigray has multiple entry points. The government’s use of fighting to excuse why aid trucks destined for Tigray remain in Afar further demonstrates the federal government’s lack of desire to alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe in Tigray tangibly.  

In reality, the Ethiopian government has made little demonstrable efforts to facilitate the provision of humanitarian assistance to Tigray. A region where over 900,000 civilians are experiencing famine conditions. On April 1st, only 13 trucks carrying food aid entered Mekele, the capital of Tigray. On April 16th, a convoy of 47 trucks carrying life-sustaining supplies arrived in Mekelle, proving inadequate to save millions of Tigrayan civilians. Aid convoys merely trickle in when an estimated 100 trucks a day are required to meet the needs of Tigrayan civilians. The reality is approximately 5% of required aid has reached Tigray over the past three weeks, according to Sarah Charles, USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance Lead. The United Nations estimates that over 90% of 5.2 million people in Tigray need food aid. Action is needed now!

Together we:

• Emphatically denounce the use of weaponized famine to subjugate a people; it violates the 1949 Geneva Conventions, Additional Protocol I (API), which states “starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is prohibited.” 
• Denounce the presence of Amhara and Eritrean forces on Tigrayan soil.

We demand that international actors:

• Impose sanctions on various Ethiopian goods until humanitarian corridors are entirely unrestricted.
• Treat the Ethiopian government as a belligerent to the conflict and the principal party accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and other atrocities, including weaponized famine.
• Establish a strict Monitoring, Verification, and Reporting Mechanism to implement any further agreement on humanitarian access.
• Establish a mechanism to ensure the immediate, verifiable, and permanent cessation of all forms of hostilities, the total withdrawal of all external forces, including Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Amhara forces from all parts of Tigray.
• Empower and grant full access of Tigray to the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia (ICHREE) to ensure an independent investigation and accountability for crimes against humanity committed against the Tigrayan people.
• Impose financial consequences on Amhara and Eritrean party leaders with dual citizenship in the West.

Signed,

• Omna Tigray
• Tigray Center for Information and Communication
• Irob Anina Civil Society
• Tigray Youth Network
• Global Society of Tigray Scholars and Professionals
• Dekna Foundation
• Tigray Adey
• Health Professionals Network for Tigray
  Tigray Action Committee 
• Security and Justice for Tigrayans
• Giovani Tigrini Italiani
  Tegaru Belgium
• Stand With Tigray
• The Union of Tigrayans in Belgium
• Tigray Unity Germany
  Peace In Tigray Denmark
• Tigray Relief Sweden
• Jewish World Watch

Despite declaring a “humanitarian truce” on March 24, 2022, the Ethiopian government has not made any demonstrable efforts to facilitate the provision of humanitarian assistance to Tigray. Reminiscent of the federal government’s “unilateral ceasefire” in June 2021, which was used as a cover to enact a brutal siege on millions of people, there are concerns that this declaration is yet another smokescreen designed to deceive the international community. 

In its recent statement addressing the current humanitarian situation, the FDRE Government Communication Services declared that air transportation access was provided to several international humanitarian organizations, but fighting in Abala, Afar has prevented ground transport. Leading with air transportation, which is more costly and delivers minimal supplies, as a sign of optimism and using fighting to excuse why aid trucks destined for Tigray remain in Afar further demonstrates the federal government’s lack of desire for a tangible improvement in the humanitarian catastrophe in Tigray.  

Additionally, days after the truce was agreed to by Tigray Regional Government officials, several dozen buses carrying Ethiopian troops reportedly moved toward Tigray’s southern border, from Dessie to Kobo in Amhara state. With no statement made by Prime Minister Abiy or his government concerning this, there are valid concerns that this mass mobilization of troops is not meant to help aid facilitation but is instead in preparation for another military offensive. On March 22, Yilikal Kefale, president of Tigray’s neighboring Amhara region, told regional officials, “The Ethiopia National Defense Force is now in training in order to carry this out. It has been engaged in organizing, training and strengthening itself.” He added, “The Amhara region is building a very large force.”

The actions of the Ethiopian government, Ethiopian National Defense Forces, and allied forces have resulted in at least 900,000 Tigrayans facing famine, with millions more in the region inching closer to that threshold. Telecommunications, electricity, and banking services have yet to be restored, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis. Too often, the international community has chosen to take the Ethiopian government at its word rather than looking at its record and actions. This choice has led to the death of tens of thousands of people and endangers millions more. We ask the same members of the international community that were quick to welcome the announcement of the humanitarian truce days ago to use all the means at their disposal to pressure the Ethiopian government to live up to its promises and end its siege of Tigray, which is a clear violation of international humanitarian law. Political and military disputes can no longer be accepted as a viable explanation for the continued obstruction of humanitarian access. Tigray, and its millions of inhabitants, cannot wait.

Signed,

Omna Tigray

Omna Tigray condemns in the strongest possible terms the Ethiopian government’s ongoing humanitarian aid blockade, which has worsened the acute food and healthcare crisis in Tigray, and calls on the international community to intervene as the unfolding disaster threatens the lives of millions of people.    

More than a year into the state-sanctioned genocidal war on Tigray, Ethiopian forces and their regional and international allies continue to exacerbate food insecurity and the healthcare emergency affecting over six million people. Over 5.2 million Tigrayans are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance, more than 900,000 face famine, and over 100,000 children are at risk of death from severe acute malnutrition. These numbers continue to rise as Tigray’s healthcare system has been deliberately decimated, and a medical supply blockade persists, leading to a critical shortage in medications, medical supplies, and medical treatments available.  

Since November 4, 2020, the Ethiopian government and its allies have heavily restricted humanitarian assistance to Tigray, transforming into an imposed siege of the region starting in July 2021. This continued blockade of humanitarian aid has been nothing short of a deliberate attempt to starve the Tigrayan people. Virtually no fuel, money, medications, or medical supplies have entered Tigray in months, and USAID reports that no convoys carrying humanitarian aid have reached Tigray since December 15, 2021. Exacerbating the already dire need for assistance, only 4% of the humanitarian supplies required to sustain relief operations have reached the region due to the lack of fuel and access. The UN has already warned that some of their agencies would be forced to stop their operations in Tigray if humanitarian supplies, fuel, and cash were not immediately delivered. According to the World Health Organization, Tigray faces more significant barriers to humanitarian access than Syria, South Sudan, and Yemen. 

New waves of internal displacement resulting from an escalation of airstrikes on civilians since October of last year have also aggravated the humanitarian crisis. Over 1.2 million people have been forcibly displaced from western Tigray, and tens of thousands have arrived at refugee camps. The UN reported that Internally Displaced People (IDPs) across several refugee camps have not received any support and live in unsanitary conditions, lacking medical and nutritional supplies. To worsen matters, the Ethiopian government’s January 8, 2022 airstrike targeted an IDP camp, killing more than 56 and injuring more than a hundred people. The strike has led aid agencies in the area to suspend their much-needed work.  

In complete violation of international humanitarian law, Ethiopian forces and allies have also destroyed or looted nearly all health facilities in Tigray. UNOCHA indicated that roughly 70% of assessed hospitals and health centers in Tigray had been either partially or fully damaged, while  80-90% of health centers visited by Doctors Without Borders were deemed non-functional. Millions are without access to essential services, including pregnant women without critical maternal health services, hundreds of thousands of children in need of immunizations, chronic illness-affected individuals without life-sustaining medication, and countless people with trauma injuries. Doctors, forced to reuse disposable gloves and stop surgeries, have stated signing death certificates has become their primary job. The collapse of Tigray’s healthcare system, in conjunction with the interruption of childhood vaccination, poor sanitation, and massive internal displacement, highly increases the risk of infectious disease outbreaks such as cholera, measles, malaria, yellow fever, and COVID-19. Furthermore, a diabetes catastrophe is unfolding as insulin runs out this week at Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Hospital in Mekelle, Tigray’s largest referral hospital.

The impact of the current war and man-made humanitarian crisis transcends the existing conflict, as the famine will have long-term ramifications on food security and societal well-being. With no end in sight, Tigrayan authorities foresee increased food insecurity in the coming year, as the complete absence of fertilizer will likely result in up to a 50 percent reduction in harvest during the next harvest season. The scale and nature of the destruction surrounding Tigray’s infrastructure, food security, and health system demonstrate the Ethiopian government’s intention to inflict a long-term crisis and impede the post-war rehabilitation process. 

To protect and save the lives of millions of Tigrayans and other civilians across Ethiopia and prevent mass deaths from man-made famine, we are calling for:

• The international community to use all political and economic tools at their disposal to pressure the Ethiopian government to end the siege of Tigray;
• Increased and immediate humanitarian access into all of Tigray, including humanitarian airdrops of food and medical supplies;
• The United Nations Security Council to invoke Resolution 2417;
• An arms embargo on Ethiopia and Eritrea, and countries supplying drones and other weapons to Ethiopia (including the UAE, Turkey, Iran, and China);
• A no-fly zone that does not hinder humanitarian aid delivery;
• Sanctions on Ethiopian and Eritrean government officials;
• Pressure on the Ethiopian government to engage in negotiations;
• Immediate, internationally monitored, and verifiable withdrawal of Eritrean, Ethiopian, and Amhara forces from all of Tigray;
• Complete restoration of services, including internet, electricity, water, banking, transportation, and telecommunications throughout Tigray;
• An EU, US, or UN-mediated national dialogue for Ethiopia;
• The independent investigative mechanism to include investigations of drone supplying actors and linked atrocities, and for the commission to be operational quickly and victim-centered; and 
• Official recognition of the Tigray Genocide committed by the Ethiopian National Defense Forces, Eritrean Defense Forces, Amhara Special Forces, and Amhara Fano Militia against the Tigrayan people.

Signed,

Omna Tigray

Omna Tigray is horrified by the Ethiopian government’s recent airstrikes across Tigray, and most alarmingly, by an airstrike targeting a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Dedebit, northwest Tigray. This airstrike was carried out around midnight, on January 8th, a day after many Tigrayans were celebrating their Christmas holiday. 

Aid workers initially stated that at least 56 people were killed and 30+ were injured in the attack on the camp, many of whom were women and children. The number of injured civilians has since gone up to over 126, with more deaths anticipated due to the complete collapse of Tigray’s healthcare system. Particularly distressing is that the camp hosted IDPs that had escaped the Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Amhara forces’ violent ethnic cleansing campaign in  Western Tigray.    

The attack comes three days after an Ethiopian airstrike killed three Eritrean refugees and injured four in the Mai Aini refugee camp in southern Tigray and one day after the Ethiopian government released several prominent political prisoners, ostensibly to promote political reconciliation. Despite the Ethiopian government’s rhetoric of dialogue and reconciliation, it continues to target civilians across Tigray. There is no justification for targeting IDP and refugee camps and attacking men, women, and children who have already had their lives completely uprooted by this genocidal war. 

According to aid agencies, before the latest strike, at least 146 people had been killed (including UNHCR staff member Hiluf Michael Mehari) and 213 injured due to airstrikes in Tigray since October 18, 2021. As a result of the most recent airstrikes, an already extremely limited humanitarian response has been further curtailed. The threat posed by drone strikes led humanitarian partners to suspend their activities in part of the Tigray region. Now in its second year of conflict, this proves especially devastating for a region that has 2.2 million IDPs, 900,000 people facing famine, and an estimated 6.8 million in dire need of aid amid a blockade of food and medical supplies.

The Ethiopian government’s continuous indiscriminate aerial attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructures in Tigray, in addition to its ongoing siege on the region, demonstrate the genocidal intent at the root of its campaign. The paralysis of the international community and the lack of meaningful condemnation and action against Ethiopia and its drone weapon suppliers, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Iran, and China, have emboldened the Ethiopian government to continue its brazen attacks against Tigrayans with impunity. As we have witnessed in Syria and Yemen, countries indebted to Middle Eastern powers due to large-scale weapons purchases risk state collapse, and in turn, regional stability. This must be prevented for Ethiopia.

To protect the lives of millions of Tigrayans and civilians across Ethiopia, we are calling for:

• An arms embargo on Ethiopia and Eritrea, and countries supplying drones and other weapons to Ethiopia (including the UAE, Turkey, Iran, and China);
• A no-fly zone that does not hinder humanitarian aid delivery;
• Sanctions on Ethiopian and Eritrean government officials;
• Pressure on the Ethiopian government to engage in negotiations;
• Increased and immediate humanitarian access into all of Tigray;
• Immediate, internationally monitored, and verifiable withdrawal of Eritrean, Ethiopian, and Amhara forces from all of Tigray;
• Complete restoration of services, including internet, electricity, water, banking, transportation, and telecommunications throughout Tigray;
• An EU, US, or UN-mediated national dialogue for Ethiopia;
• The independent investigative mechanism to include investigations of drone supplying actors and linked atrocities, and for the commission to be operational quickly and victim-centered; and 
• Official recognition of the Tigray Genocide committed by the Ethiopian National Defense Forces, Eritrean Defense Forces, Amhara Special Forces, and Amhara Fano Militia against the Tigrayan people.

Signed,

Omna Tigray

Omna Tigray resolutely rejects the joint investigation into the atrocities committed in the Tigray conflict by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC), which is flawed in both methodology and execution.

It is to be recalled that important stakeholders including various Tigrayan organizations, human rights groups, the regional Government of Tigray, and members of the international community have repeatedly called for an independent and impartial investigation into war crimes, crimes against humanity, and acts of genocide committed throughout the war on Tigray. These stakeholders have also raised serious, legitimate concerns about the credibility and impartiality of the joint investigation. These concerns were vindicated by the spirit and letter of this profoundly flawed preliminary report. Despite these calls to the UN, the EHRC- a state-funded institution led by the state-appointed Chief Commissioner Daniel Bekele- became involved as a partner at the behest of the Ethiopian Government (which had and remains without Tigrayan representation in both chambers of parliament), rendering the investigation inadequate from its inception.

Those close to the investigation asserted that Bekele “underplayed some allegations that fighters from the country’s Amhara region were responsible for abuses in Tigray and pressed instead to highlight abuses by Tigray forces,”. This is reflected in the report, especially as it relates to the issue of sexual and gender-based violence, the Mai Kadra massacre, and numerous other attacks. Though hardly mentioned in the joint report, many Tigrayan women and girls implicate Amhara Regional Police Special Force members and Amhara Fano militia in committing weaponized sexual violence, including rape, gang-rape, sexual slavery, and sexual mutiliation as part of a campiang of ethnic cleansing. Furthermore, the investigation into the Mai Kadra massacre did not include testimonies from Tigrayan victims forced to flee into neighboring Sudan. Under the section ‘Attack on civilians and civilian objects’ of the report, there is no mention of Amhara Special Forces or Fano despite their documented involvement in the destruction of bridges and looting of property, forced eviction, and forced transfer of assets and private property to the extent that an Amhara regional bureau was established to legalize ownership of property looted from Tigray.

The UN component of the joint investigation team was heavily dependent on staff members of UN Ethiopia. A series of leaked documents and audio recordings have revealed that those in charge of many of these agencies have espoused extremely biased views, questioning the experience of survivors of SGBV and describing the weaponized rape against Tigrayans as “Media Hype”. This explicit bias that some top leaders of the UN Ethiopia team have exhibited has led to several suspensions/expulsions from the organization.This institutional context introduces a whole host of concerns about the impartiality and credibility of the investigation and its purported findings. 

Most alarmingly, the influence and participation via the EHRC of the Government of Ethiopia – a belligerent in the conflict and the principal party accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity and acts of genocide – is a violation of not only principles of impartiality and neutrality, but contravenes longstanding UN norms. Despite the unprecedented expulsion of UN human rights officer Sonny Onyegbula (who was working on the report) by the Ethiopian government last month, the UN indicated that the Ethiopian Government was sent the report in advance for comments on “anything it believes to be incorrect.” However, the same courtesy was not extended to the Government of Tigray, a government which has been vocal and consistent in calling for an impartial, independent investigation in the region. While Bekele claims the investigation lacked support from Tigray authorities currently administering the region, the Government of Tigray stated “hardly any effort” was made to reach out to them. Moreover, the UN human rights office has clearly stated, contradicting its co-investigator EHRC, that the Ethiopian government’s siege which has entailed severing communications and transportation into and out of Tigray is what made it difficult for investigators to access key sites of massacres and atrocities in Tigray. It is evident that the EHRC is not even representing the circumstances around the investigation transparently, which should lead all rational observers to question its capacity and willingness to present an accurate account of the atrocities. 

As such, because of the continuing siege enacted by the Ethiopian government, areas heavily impacted by some of the most egregious and violent attacks including Debre Abay, Mahbere Deigo, Edaga Berhe, Togoga, and the holy city of Axum, the site of the alleged massacre of several hundred people, were not investigated. Meanwhile, the report went to great lengths to include the Amhara cities Bahir Dar and Gondar, which have not seen even a fraction of the devastation that Tigray has, to create a false sense of equivalency concerning the level of impact.

The need for a truly impartial, independent investigation into the Tigray conflict to hold perpetrators of atrocities accountable and provide justice for impacted persons cannot be overstated. With many vital human rights agencies and foreign media barred from the region, it is important that the joint report is rejected as at best, an incomplete and at worst, dangerously inaccurate depiction of the atrocious events of the last year of the war on Tigray. 

Omna Tigray continues to call for UN-led, independent investigations into war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in Tigray. To achieve this, we are requesting for a Commission of Inquiry (COI) to be established by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate crimes in the following areas appropriately:

• Massacres and extrajudicial killings;
• Sexual and gender-based violence;
• Man-made famine and weaponized starvation; 
• Displacement crisis, including the impact on refugees;
• The wholesale destruction of religious sites and infrastructure relating to healthcare, the economy, and education;
• Ethnic cleansing, including attempts to forcibly change identities;
• Ethnic profiling and discrimination, including mass arrests, enforced disappearances, confiscation of property, and closure of businesses, as well as the conditions faced in the concentration camps;
• The existential threat level for minorities in Tigray (Irob and Kunama);
• Torture, inhumane treatment, and executions of Tigrayan POWs and the 17,000+ Tigrayan Ethiopian National Defense Force soldiers; and
• Hate speech by Ethiopian government officials, state media, and civilians, and the intent to commit genocide.

The list above is not exhaustive, and we ask that the COI includes violations linked to the above. This can consist of the communications blackout, and regional and geopolitical dynamics via sales of drones and weapons then used to kill civilians. 

Signed,

OMNA Tigray

Omna Tigray condemns in the strongest possible terms the Ethiopian government’s airstrikes conducted today, October 20th, and Monday, October 18th, on civilians in the densely populated Tigrayan capital of Mekelle, and Agbe, Tembien. 

These targeted airstrikes by Ethiopian forces have resulted in significant civilian casualties, among which included three children that were killed Monday and a pregnant mother that was injured today.

Ethiopian government spokesperson Legesse Tulu initially denied the government’s involvement in the attacks, stating “terrorists are the ones who attack cities with innocent civilians in them, not governments.” Yet, after numerous casualties were reported, Ethiopian state media stated that Monday’s airstrikes (which occurred on Mekelle’s market day) “was carried out with utmost precision to prevent civilian casualties.” The airstrikes on civilians in Tigray come months after a cease of military combat in the regional capital and directly follow military losses by Ethiopian forces. The attacks are reminiscent of the airstrike that retreating federal forces conducted on market day in the Tigray village of Togoga on June 22nd that killed 64 and injured 184 civilians. Despite the harm inflicted on civilians, credible reports state federal forces will continue their airstrikes on Tigray.

Ethiopia’s continued airstrikes on Tigray, a region in the midst of famine and “where doctors and others have described running out of medicines,” continue to have a devastating impact on civilians’ lives and livelihoods. According to the United Nations, many aid organizations are operating at extremely reduced capacities. In August, USAID stated only 10 percent of the aid required was reaching the region and clarified “this shortage is not because food is unavailable, but because the Ethiopian government is obstructing humanitarian aid and personnel, including land convoys and air access.” A UN Spokesperson further stated that at least two important aid organizations have already run out of food in Tigray. Since the end of June, only 320 trucks have managed to reach the region versus the 100 trucks of aid that are needed to arrive in Tigray each day. 

In September, seven senior UN officials were expelled by the Ethiopian government, and despite the UN alerting of famine conditions and restriction of aid, the Ethiopian Government has stated that it is “absurd to expect unrestricted flow of humanitarian aid to the Tigray region,” and has repeatedly displayed its disregard for international human rights laws. 

While the current actions of the Ethiopian government aren’t surprising given their history of atrocities committed against Tigrayans throughout all parts of Ethiopia, the relative inaction by the international community indicates complicity in and enablement of the genocide in Tigray. To protect the lives of millions of Tigrayans and prevent further atrocities committed against them, we at Omna Tigray are calling on the international community to take or support the following immediate actions: 

• Implementation of economic sanctions on Ethiopian and Eritrean government officials and an arms embargo;
• A no-fly zone that does not hinder humanitarian aid delivery;
• Increased and immediate humanitarian access into all of Tigray via the opening of a humanitarian corridor by way of Sudan and a consistent humanitarian air bridge to airdrop food;
• Immediate, internationally monitored, and verifiable, withdrawal of the Eritrean, Ethiopian, and Amhara forces from all of Tigray;
• Full restoration of communications, including internet, electricity, water, banking, transportation, and telecommunications throughout Tigray;
• An EU, US, or UN-mediated national dialogue for Ethiopia;
• UN-led, independent and impartial investigations into all atrocities in Tigray and to Tigrayans across Ethiopia; and
• Official recognition of the Tigray Genocide committed by the Ethiopian National Defense Forces, Eritrean Defense Forces, Amhara Special Forces, and Amhara Fano Militia against the Tigrayan people.

Signed,

OMNA Tigray

Omna Tigray strongly condemns Ethiopia’s recent decision to expel seven UN officials, including UNOCHA and UNICEF, whose work is crucial to alleviating the suffering of millions in Tigray facing man-made famine. The expulsion of UN leadership, which is “contrary to obligations under the Charter of the United Nations and the privileges and immunities to be afforded to the United Nations and its officials,” significantly impedes humanitarian operations in the region, and we call for an immediate reversal of the decision. We strongly believe this action, which the Ethiopian government does not have a legal right to take, is part of their larger objective to starve Tigrayans into submission and continue its genocide without interference.

The suspensions come a day after UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths stated the Tigray famine was a “stain on [the UN’s] conscience” and called on Ethiopia’s incoming federal government to lead the country away from “the abyss that it’s peering into.” This also follows the August suspension of international aid groups Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) from working in the country, reflective of Ethiopia’s reactionary responses to harsh criticisms of their handling of the famine situation in Tigray, of which they are the cause. 

For nearly 11 months, the Ethiopian government and forces loyal to it have employed various mechanisms to create starvation conditions in Tigray, including, but not limited to, attacks on farmers and aid workers, burning of crops, looting of tools, the slaughter of livestock, contamination of food, and obstruction of aid efforts. The humanitarian ceasefire declared by the federal government on June 28th following military defeats was meant to provide aid workers better access, help farmers during the planting season, and provide internally displaced people an opportunity to return to their homes. Yet, the humanitarian situation in Tigray has only worsened since the ceasefire declaration with internet and telecommunications still cut, humanitarian workers still impeded, and ethnic cleansing continued, in what has been aptly described as Ethiopia’s “siege” of Tigray.

After months of talks of a looming famine affecting millions in Tigray, famine has officially actualized in the region, with hundreds of Tigrayans starving to death daily and an estimated 100,000 children in Tigray that could die of hunger. Continued inaction by the international community will only encourage the Ethiopian government to continue its weaponization of hunger against its citizens. To protect the lives of millions of Tigrayans, we are calling for:

• Immediate reversal of expulsion of UN, MSF, and NRC staff;
• The UN Security Council to invoke UNSC Resolution 2417 (2018) and all other relevant protocols without delay; 
• Increased and immediate humanitarian access into all of Tigray via the opening of humanitarian corridors and/or airdropping food;
• Implementation of economic sanctions on Ethiopian and Eritrean government officials to increase pressure to stop the blockage of aid;
• Immediate, internationally monitored, and verifiable, withdrawal of the Eritrean, Ethiopian, and Amhara forces from all of Tigray;
• UN-led, independent and impartial investigations into all atrocities in Tigray and to Tigrayans across Ethiopia;
• The halt of bilateral and multilateral trade relations with Ethiopia and Eritrea and prohibition of new investments in either country;
• Full restoration of communications, including phone lines and internet;
• A limited no-fly zone that does not hinder humanitarian delivery; and
• Official recognition of the Tigray Genocide committed by the Ethiopian National Defense Forces, Eritrean Defense Forces, Amhara Special Forces, and Amhara Fano Militia against the Tigrayan people.

Signed,

OMNA Tigray

Endorsed By,

The collective of Tigrayan community-based organizations and nonprofits within the global diaspora listed below:

1. Security and Justice for Tigrayans (SJT)
2. The Union of Tigrayans in Belgium (UTB)
3. Ethiopian Canadians for Peace
4. Irob Anina Civil Society (IACS)
5. Stand With Tigray (SWT)
6. Giovani Tigrini Italiani
7. Tigray Action Committee (TAC)
8. Tigray Youth Network (TYN)
9. Health Professionals Network for Tigray (HPN)
10. Tegaru Belgium
11. Security and Justice for Tigrayans Canada (SJT Canada)
12. United Tegaru Canada (UTC)

A coalition of advocacy and human rights groups based in America and Europe have deliberated in issuing this important joint press release in response to a recently surfaced video whereby Representative Karen Bass, the U.S. Representative for California’s 37th congressional district, met with Theodros Teshome Kebede, a pro-Ethiopian government filmmaker, in July 2021. A very troubling video clip of the virtual meeting between Representative Bass and the filmmaker is circulating on social media, causing alarm and disappointment among constituents in the United States and communities worldwide. In the video, Mr. Kebede is seen making offensive comments that fall under the definition of hate speech; he is also visibly promoting violence against ethnic Tigrayans in Ethiopia.

The Ethiopian government and its allies have been accused by the U.S. government, the United Nations, and many respected human rights organizations of committing gross atrocities, including rape as a tool of war, against ethnic Tigrayans and others opposing the Ethiopian government. We are not surprised that a pro-Ethiopian government member would make such intolerable statements against ethnic Tigrayans and anyone that opposes their unitary vision for Ethiopia. What we find unsettling is that these hateful comments and incitement of violence were made during a meeting with Representative Bass, and the representative seemingly made no attempt to end the meeting or make it clear to Mr. Kebede that such statements were abominable and unacceptable. 

Representative Bass’ failure to halt or interrupt Mr. Kebede’s speech of intolerance, her office’s refusal to meet equally with ethnic Tigrayan and anti-Ethiopian government diaspora groups, and her continued unwillingness to join President Joe Biden, Secretary Antony Blinken, Ambassador Samantha Power, Ambassador Katherine Tai, and the United States Senate in influentially denouncing the atrocities of the Ethiopian government and their allies against ethnic Tigrayans and others opposed to the government, all suggest to the public and the international community that Representative Bass is more concerned about winning pro-Ethiopian government votes in her congressional district than being an advocate for human rights and justice – or, perhaps, the representative is indifferent.

We call upon Representative Karen Bass to:

1) retract and repudiate the hateful statements of Mr. Kebede 

2) issue a public statement on the humanitarian crisis in Tigray, and publicly call for unfettered humanitarian access to the besieged Tigray

3) advocate for a halt to hostilities in all impacted regions of Ethiopia and demand foreign armed forces engaged in combat to return to their respective bases and countries 

4) visit political prisoners in Kaliti Prison and Axum where deadly massacres took place

5) conduct discussions with senior members of the US Embassy regarding their negligence in protecting American citizens in Ethiopia

6) virtually meet with coalition groups of Tigrayans, Oromos, Somalis, Kemant, Benishangul, Gambella, Agew, Sidama and others in the representative’s congressional constituency. 

Finally, we urge Representative Bass to call on the Ethiopian Government to announce its willingness and plans for an all-inclusive political negotiation, remove criminalizing tags from all opposing entities, and the delegates visiting Ethiopia to join President Biden in leading with diplomacy and human rights. The Ethiopian government’s violence against ethnic Tigrayans, Oromos, Somalis, Kemant, Benishangul, Gambella, Agew, Sidama, and other oppressed ethnic groups must end.

Signed,

Coalition of Ethiopian Diaspora Advocacy and Human Rights Groups listed below:

1. Gambela: Southwestern Indigenous Peoples Humanitarian Organization 
2. Kemant: Kemant Advocacy Group
3. Oromo: Oromo Legacy Leadership and Advocacy Association
4. Somali: Diaspora Community
5. Tigray: OMNA Tigray

On August 12th, Omna Tigray received a leaked audio recording of a meeting held by the Ethiopian country offices of various UN agencies on March 26, 2021. The meeting was held to form a common position and unified response to presumed “sensationalist kind of questioning” from the media following statements by the Office of the Secretary-General  on the role of weaponized rape in the genocidal war on Tigray. The audio was leaked to our organization by a whistleblower on conditions of anonymity. We welcome all efforts to verify its validity. 

The atrocities and weaponized sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) committed against Tigrayan women and girls by Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Amhara forces had been widely documented by various credible international organizations at the time this meeting was held. Yet, the attached audio and verbatim transcription provide insight into 1) a UN procedure in which evidence must be verified and accepted, in this instance, by the Ethiopian government in order to be deemed credible and 2) hesitancy by UN Ethiopia country offices and UN Women to use anecdotal evidence in the pursuit of justice and accountability for Tigrayan SGBV survivors. 

More specifically, the leaked audio exhibits the UN country offices’ stance in that evidence needs to be verified and approved by the Ethiopian state, a belligerent to the conflict that stands accused of all manner of atrocities including the weaponization of rape, extrajudicial killings, ethnic cleansing, and genocide. This content in the audio compounds existing concerns regarding the UN’s decision to conduct a joint investigation with the state-appointed and state-funded Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC), whose brazen bias against Tigrayan victims has been laid bare since the onset of the conflict. Involving the Ethiopian government and the EHRC (given the nature of the state influence on the institution) in investigations may introduce biases in evidence evaluation, provide leeway for the institution to decide if or to what extent the Ethiopian state has committed atrocities, and greatly affect the credibility in reporting and the degree of justice for survivors. 

Aside from the stated need for approval in evidence, the audio also shares various UN stakeholders’ hesitancy in utilizing anecdotal evidence for media responses and in pursuing justice and accountability of Tigrayan SGBV survivors. Note, however, this meeting was held at a time when multiple reports and statements regarding weaponized SGBV in Tigray had been shared by credible, international organizations and individuals, including the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict Ms. Pramila Patten, as early as January of this year. UN agencies also supported Tigrayan women and girls by providing shelter and care in their safehouses, which offers a small glimpse into the atrocities faced and provides a source for evidence.

It is particularly problematic that the views against usage of individual testimonies were most vocally espoused by UN Women Representative to Ethiopia Letty Chiwara, who can be heard stating, “Until such a time when OHCHR and the Commission for Human Rights (EHRC) have finished their investigations, I would not feel comfortable, as a UN entity or as a whole UN, for us within Ethiopia, to begin to say we have evidence,” deviating from the Secretary General Office’s official position. She also dismisses the gravity of and belief in sexual violence and rape as a weapon of war reported in the media, by referring to it as “media hype.”

Although the meeting was prompted by a need for the country offices to align on a unified position regarding weaponized SGBV in Tigray, it’s clear that this position was implicitly defined. To avoid reporting victim testimony as evidence, it was suggested to instead shift the “conversation away from ‘How many women? What kind of violence?’ to ‘the work that has been done.’” This language dismisses the gravity of weaponized SGBV committed against Tigrayan women and girls and the urgency for action needed in response. 

It is estimated that tens of thousands of women and girls have been raped throughout Tigray in an attempt to demoralize and “cleanse the blood line” of the Tigrayan people. The dismissal and whitewashing of the atrocities committed against Tigrayan SGBV survivors by the UN Ethiopia country offices is appalling and warrants condemnation. 

Alongside our immediate calls to the international community, we continue to urge the UN and its respective agencies to: 

1. Operate and conduct investigations into the war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and other atrocities independently and without influence from the state-appointed and state-funded Ethiopian Human Rights Commission; 
2. Treat the Ethiopian government as a belligerent to the conflict and the principal party accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and other atrocities including weaponized rape; 
3. Admit first hand accounts from victims as credible evidence alongside other corroborating evidence in efforts to push for action, inclusive of justice, and accountability; and 
4. Respect, support, and believe Tigrayan survivors of weaponized sexual and gender-based violence.