Spotlight on Ethiopia/Tigray
The conflict in Ethiopia, and the persecution of ethnic Tigrayans remains one of the world’s most neglected crises. The risk of genocide is high, while evidence of potential war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing, continues to mount.
In November 2020, armed conflict between the Ethiopian federal government and the regional Tigrayan government broke out. Since then, millions of people have been displaced; tens of thousands have endured sexual violence; hundreds have been arbitrarily arrested, detained and tortured; thousands of homes and livelihoods have been destroyed; and life-saving humanitarian assistance has been denied to vast swathes of the population, leaving hundreds of thousands on the brink of starvation, and victims of rape and other sexual violence from getting help. Five hundred thousand people are believed to have died, though a complete and accurate picture of the devastation is frustrated by an information and communications blackout.
Despite the blackout, evidence has emerged of potential mass atrocity crimes. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch reported that Ethiopian-backed Amhara forces have been implicated in systematic war crimes and crimes against humanity targeting the Tigrayan population. In a report released in April 2022, they reported that since the outbreak of the conflict
‘in Western Tigray, civilian authorities, and Amhara regional security forces, with the acquiescence and possible participation of Ethiopian federal forces, committed numerous grave abuses as part of a widespread and systematic attack against the Tigrayan civilian population that amount to crimes against humanity as well as war crimes. These crimes include murder, enforced disappearances, torture, deportation or forcible transfer, rape, sexual slavery and other sexual violence, persecution, unlawful imprisonment, possible extermination, and other inhumane acts.’
Related to unresolved grievances, including land and border disputes, Amhara forces and allied militia have pillaged entire Tigrayan villages, forcibly transferred populations from Western Tigray to other parts of the region, and raped and sexually enslaved Tigrayan women and girls. Those unable to flee remain held in detention centres where many have been subjected to torture or killed.
In November 2021, the Ethiopian federal Government declared a six month ‘state of emergency’. This prompted an increase in mass arrests of ethnic Tigrayans across the country. Indiscriminate airstrikes have destroyed schools, camps for displaced persons, market places, and power-supplying infrastructure. These aerial bombardments have intensified due to foreign military assistance, including from permanent members of the UN Security Council, China and Russia.
The effects do not stop at death from military actions. The UN has stated that Ethiopia is on the brink of humanitarian disaster. The number of people in need of food assistance in northern Ethiopia has increased from 9 million in November 2021 to more than 13 million people. More than 8 million people are at risk because of drought. Malnutrition is on the rise. Hospitals are running out of food and medical supplies, leading to patients being turned away or discharged without the care they need. More than 2.9 million children remain out of school. Despite an indefinite ‘humanitarian truce’ declared in March 2022, resources vital for survival have been blocked from reaching populations. Some commentators have warned that the truce ought to be treated with caution given that similar commitments have in the past emboldened Abiy’s regime to intensity siege tactics in the region.
While the Ethiopian government has declared a humanitarian truce, it has a history of misinformation that includes denial of civilian fatalities and injuries and the involvement of Eritrean forces in the conflict. However, as partners with regional forces in Afar, Eritrean forces and allied militia have been implicated in door-to-door searches and extrajudicial killings, as well as looting and sexual violence. These actors also stand accused of atrocities committed against the Irob and Kunama sub-minorities, including massacres, enforced disappearances, and rape, as well as destruction or disruption of critical civilian infrastructure and livelihoods. While the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights reported that Tigrayan forces have been implicated in attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, extrajudicial executions, torture, looting, rape and sexual violence, this report was conducted in partnership with the government accused of perpetrating atrocity crimes, and its independence is therefore unclear.
The international community must increase pressure on parties to negotiate a ceasefire and bring an end to the crisis. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, the UK is well placed to lead this action, and must fulfil its obligations under the Responsibility to Protect.
Note: The APPG held a meeting about the crisis in Ethiopia in November 2021. You can read more here.
Written by Gillian McKay, PhD Candidate at the University of Leeds - @GillsMcKay | ss19gcm@leeds.ac.uk