- Thread starter
- Staff
- #1
Dadparvar
Staff member
- Nov 11, 2016
- 11,295
- 0
- 6
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Friday expressed alarm over the mounting toll on civilians from the escalating fighting in Ethiopia, urging the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) along with its allies to immediately de-escalate tensions to avoid a return to a full-scale war.
According to the UN Human Rights Office, airstrikes by the Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF), some reportedly conducted using drones, struck five schools in Tigray on September 22, resulting in deaths and injuries. A mortar strike reportedly carried out by the ENDF in Kobo, in the Amhara region, on September 23 also resulted in civilian deaths. Türk called on all parties to protect civilians and allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access to those in need.
Türk also raised concerns over reported disruptions to internet and telecommunications services in Mekelle, the capital of Tigray, and parts of Amhara, as well as road blockages in Afar. Air travel in Tigray was significantly disrupted after Ethiopian Airlines suspended flights to Mekelle, Axum and Shire following the TPLF’s takeover of the three airports on September 23. Türk warned that communications disruptions could prevent civilians from reaching safety and hinder humanitarian workers from accessing affected communities.
The UN Human Rights Office further reported allegations of forced mass recruitment of civilians, including children, by the TPLF across Tigray, along with killings, torture, arbitrary detention, forced displacement and reprisals against people resisting recruitment and their families. The Office also cited reports of arbitrary conscription by government forces. Türk urged states with influence over the parties to support efforts toward a cessation of hostilities.
The warning follows a September 23 statement by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who expressed grave concern over the rapidly deteriorating situation in Ethiopia and urged the parties to protect civilians and prevent a broader conflict. The African Union Commission similarly called for immediate de-escalation and renewed direct talks under the 2022 Pretoria Agreement, which established a permanent cessation of hostilities between Ethiopia’s federal government and the TPLF.
The renewed fighting comes amid months of mounting tensions in northern Ethiopia and growing concern that the fragile post-war settlement could unravel. In February, Ethiopia acknowledged the involvement of Eritrean forces in the 2020–2022 Tigray war as relations between Addis Ababa and Asmara deteriorated. A 2025 report by Physicians for Human Rights detailed that around 1 in 10 Tigrayan women had faced sexual violence during the war and were often subjected to gang rapes, forced pregnancies, and the forcible transmission of HIV, actions that directly contravene Article 4 of Additional Protocol II to the Geneva Conventions.
The gross violations against humanity committed during the Tigray war resulted in a public oral hearing being held at the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) after Legal Action Worldwide, the Pan-African Lawyers Union (PALU) and Debevoise & Plimpton LLP filed a lawsuit accusing Ethiopia of being complicit in the perpetration of violence against the people of Tigray.
The Tigray war killed large numbers of civilians, displaced millions and generated widespread allegations of war crimes and other serious human rights violations. The latest escalation has therefore renewed fears that Ethiopia could return to a broader conflict despite the cessation-of-hostilities framework established in Pretoria.
The post UN High Commissioner for Human Rights urges de-escalation as fighting intensifies in Ethiopia appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.
According to the UN Human Rights Office, airstrikes by the Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF), some reportedly conducted using drones, struck five schools in Tigray on September 22, resulting in deaths and injuries. A mortar strike reportedly carried out by the ENDF in Kobo, in the Amhara region, on September 23 also resulted in civilian deaths. Türk called on all parties to protect civilians and allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access to those in need.
Türk also raised concerns over reported disruptions to internet and telecommunications services in Mekelle, the capital of Tigray, and parts of Amhara, as well as road blockages in Afar. Air travel in Tigray was significantly disrupted after Ethiopian Airlines suspended flights to Mekelle, Axum and Shire following the TPLF’s takeover of the three airports on September 23. Türk warned that communications disruptions could prevent civilians from reaching safety and hinder humanitarian workers from accessing affected communities.
The UN Human Rights Office further reported allegations of forced mass recruitment of civilians, including children, by the TPLF across Tigray, along with killings, torture, arbitrary detention, forced displacement and reprisals against people resisting recruitment and their families. The Office also cited reports of arbitrary conscription by government forces. Türk urged states with influence over the parties to support efforts toward a cessation of hostilities.
The warning follows a September 23 statement by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who expressed grave concern over the rapidly deteriorating situation in Ethiopia and urged the parties to protect civilians and prevent a broader conflict. The African Union Commission similarly called for immediate de-escalation and renewed direct talks under the 2022 Pretoria Agreement, which established a permanent cessation of hostilities between Ethiopia’s federal government and the TPLF.
The renewed fighting comes amid months of mounting tensions in northern Ethiopia and growing concern that the fragile post-war settlement could unravel. In February, Ethiopia acknowledged the involvement of Eritrean forces in the 2020–2022 Tigray war as relations between Addis Ababa and Asmara deteriorated. A 2025 report by Physicians for Human Rights detailed that around 1 in 10 Tigrayan women had faced sexual violence during the war and were often subjected to gang rapes, forced pregnancies, and the forcible transmission of HIV, actions that directly contravene Article 4 of Additional Protocol II to the Geneva Conventions.
The gross violations against humanity committed during the Tigray war resulted in a public oral hearing being held at the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) after Legal Action Worldwide, the Pan-African Lawyers Union (PALU) and Debevoise & Plimpton LLP filed a lawsuit accusing Ethiopia of being complicit in the perpetration of violence against the people of Tigray.
The Tigray war killed large numbers of civilians, displaced millions and generated widespread allegations of war crimes and other serious human rights violations. The latest escalation has therefore renewed fears that Ethiopia could return to a broader conflict despite the cessation-of-hostilities framework established in Pretoria.
The post UN High Commissioner for Human Rights urges de-escalation as fighting intensifies in Ethiopia appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.