“We have corroborated information of gross human rights violations and abuses including indiscriminate attacks against civilians and civilian objects, looting, abductions and sexual violence against women and girls,” Bachelet told reporters. “There are reports of forced recruitment of Tigrayan youth to fight against their own communities.”
Ethiopian refugees sharing a shelter in Hamdayet, Sudan, the first stop for new arrivals after crossing the border from Ethiopia.
“In Mekelle, a doctor reached by Reuters said the hospital where he works was “totally non-functional” due to lack of electricity, fuel for generators, oxygen and medical supplies. Medics were unable to perform emergency surgery or effectively treat patients for problems such as childbirth complications and diabetes.
“Patients are dying outside and inside the hospital,” he wrote in a message, saying that he was aware of three women who died after delivering babies at home and an infant on a ventilator who died because there was no oxygen.”
Bangladeshi textile firm DBL compound was rocked by an explosion which makes clothes mainly for Swedish fashion giant H&M and is one of at least three foreign garment makers to have suspended operations in Tigray. H&M said it was “very concerned” and was closely monitoring the situation. “We have three suppliers in Tigray, and the production there has come to a halt,” the company told Reuters, also other suppliers in tigray or Ethiopia comment on the economic impact of the war, as well as prior to the war with covid and other unrest within Ethiopia that had them close thier office.
“Gabrgeorgis says that in his town — Sheraro on the Eritrea-Ethiopia border — the Eritrean military took over when Ethiopian troops left. “”They beat us with the machine guns, they would make us lie on the ground and put the weapon in our mouths,”” he said. “”If you are afraid, they will kill you, and if you don’t show fear, they turn you on your back and hit you with the back of the rifle.”””
“The soldiers came in the middle of the day and started to kill young men,” said Giray Seyfu, 24, who worked in agricultural irrigation in Mai Kadra, a town in northern Tigray.
“They stormed the town, hacked people with knives, shot bullets and beat people to death with sticks. I must have seen about 130 people dead. We had to run,” Seyfu said.
Tens of thousands of displaced Ethiopian refugees are running out of food and water due to the month-long conflict that has forced almost 50,000 to flee.
Those who fled the violence believe they are the lucky ones. A vast majority of the refugees living in Sudan’s Um Rakuba camp, which means “mother of all shelters”, are male. They say they saw other men being killed, and fled for their lives.
“Tens of thousands of refugees are living in makeshift homes in Sudan’s Um Rakouba refugee camp. But a lack of testing facilities and zero social distancing are the main concerns that could cause a potential outbreak of COVID-19 in the camp.”
The United Nations says new fighting in Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray is forcing more civilians to flee to neighbouring Sudan.
