Addis Ababa – The UN commission tasked with investigating human rights violations committed during the conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region began its first visit to the country on Monday.
The UN Human Rights Council created the commission in December 2021 for a one-year renewable term to probe alleged violations of international human rights, humanitarian and refugee law.
But the Ethiopian government released a statement on Monday saying it could reconsider its decision to collaborate with the commission depending on how it acted and whether it respected the government’s position.
Ethiopia had originally rejected the creation of the commission, calling it “counter-productive”, before eventually approving its arrival in the country.
Fana BC, a media outlet close to the government, reported that the UN investigators met Ethiopian Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen in Addis Ababa on Monday.
The experts were in the capital to talk with government officials and other partners about the terms of their collaboration, it added.
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Fighting between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government broke out in November 2020 and spread to the neighbouring Afar and Amhara regions, with all sides accused of abuses.
Aided by forces from Eritrea and Amhara, Ahmed’s federal army have unsuccessfully sought to oust the TPLF authorities in Tigray.
Fighting has virtually ceased since a March truce, but the humanitarian situation in the northern region is dire, with banking, telephone and internet networks cut off.
A joint investigation by the United Nations and Ethiopia’s human rights commission concluded in 2021 that crimes against humanity were potentially committed by all actors, according to a UN statement.
The commission – made up of three experts from Kenya, Sri Lanka and the United States – will remain in Ethiopia until July 30, when it will release a statement.
The Tigrayan authorities have said they are willing to cooperate with the commission but have accused the federal government of wanting to “dictate” the terms of the investigation and compromising its credibility.
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Source: AFP
Picture: Unsplash
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