U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that Eritrean forces in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region must withdraw, saying the situation is unacceptable and must change.
Tag: reuters
reuters: U.N. rights chief seeks access to Ethiopia’s Tigray to probe war crimes
United Nations human rights chief Michelle Bachelet called on Ethiopia on Thursday to grant U.N. monitors access to the Tigray region to investigate reports of continuing killings and sexual violence that may amount to war crimes.
Reuters: Ethiopia closes camps housing Eritrean refugees in Tigray after reports of attacks
Two camps in Ethiopia’s Tigray region housing Eritrean refugees have been shut and the occupants relocated, authorities said on Thursday, after the United Nations said residents had reported attacks, including by suspected Eritrean troops. The UNHCR refugee agency has called for protection for the residents of the Shimelba and Hitsats camps, which it says were attacked by armed men who killed and abducted refugees. On Feb. 1, it said residents had reported that Eritrean troops had forced some refugees back into Eritrea.
Reuters: ‘People die at home’: Tigray medical services struggle after turmoil of war
A diabetic mother died as her daughter searched the capital of Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region for insulin. Women gave birth unattended in the dark because their hospital had no electricity or staff at night.
“The health system in Tigray is reportedly nearly collapsing,” the United Nation’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a Feb. 4 report, noting that only three of the region’s 11 hospitals were working properly.
U.N. official warns of high risk of atrocities in Ethiopia
A senior United Nations official warned on Friday that “the risk of atrocity crimes in Ethiopia remains high and likely to get worse” if the country does not urgently combat ethnic violence, stigmatization, hate speech and religious tensions.
REUTERS: ‘Choose – I kill you or rape you’: abuse accusations surge in Ethiopia’s war
“The soldier … forced a gun on her and raped her,” Limeuh, who was volunteering with the Sudanese Red Crescent, said the woman told him. “She asked him if he had a condom and he said ‘why would I need a condom?’”
Among a “high number” of allegations, particularly disturbing reports have emerged of people being forced to rape relatives or have sex in exchange for basic supplies, the U.N. Office of the Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict said in a statement on Thursday.
Breakingviews – Ethiopia piles war risk on shaky economy
“Another risk is the reaction from donors such as the World Bank. Aid made up nearly a quarter of government revenue last year, according to South African consultancy NKC. If funding is withdrawn because of the conflict, the budget deficit would balloon to over 30% of GDP, even before taking into account any extra military spending.”
Ethiopia shifts focus from war to economy, U.N. worries about Tigray
“Those aspirations are now at risk. Instability that began even before the Tigray conflict – due to ethnic clashes and other problems – may scare off investors already skittish about the impact of COVID-19 and rapidly-rising Ethiopian government debt. Foreign textiles firms worry about existing investments.”
New York Times: Refugees Come Under Fire as Old Foes Fight in Concert in Ethiopia
Forces from neighboring Eritrea have joined the war in northern Ethiopia, and have rampaged through refugee camps committing human rights violations, officials and witnesses say.
The deployment of Eritreans to Tigray is the newest element in a melee that has greatly tarnished Mr. Abiy’s once-glowing reputation. Only last year he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for making peace with Mr. Isaias. Now it looks like the much-lauded peace deal between the former enemies in fact laid the groundwork for them to make war against Tigray, their mutual adversary.
“Abiy has invited a foreign country to fight against his own people,” said Awol Allo, a former Abiy supporter turned outspoken critic who lectures in law at Keele University in Britain. “The implications are huge.”
Read the full story…Exclusive: U.S. Says Reports of Eritrean Troops in Ethiopia’s Tigray Are ‘Credible’
We are aware of credible reports of Eritrean military involvement in Tigray and view this as a grave development. We urge that any such troops be withdrawn immediately,” the spokesperson said.
U.S.News: U.S. Says Reports of Eritrean Troops in Ethiopia’s Tigray Are ‘Credible’ | World News | US News
The United States believes reports of Eritrean military involvement in the conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region are “credible,” a State Department spokesperson told Reuters on Thursday, despite denials by both nations.
The Hill: US believes reports of Eritrean forces in Ethiopia Tigray region are ‘credible’: report
U.S. officials believe reports of Eritrean military forces in the Tigray region of Ethiopia to be “credible,” a State Department spokesperson told Reuters.
Read the full story…Reuters: U.S. says reports of Eritrean troops in Ethiopia’s Tigray are ‘credible’
The United States believes reports of Eritrean military involvement in the conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region are “credible,” a State Department spokesperson told Reuters on Thursday, despite denials by both nations.
“We are aware of credible reports of Eritrean military involvement in Tigray and view this as a grave development. We urge that any such troops be withdrawn immediately,” the spokesperson said.
Read the full story…