African Union moves to probe Tigray massacres
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - An African Union rights body will investigate the alleged war crimes and human rights abuses in Ethiopia's Tigray region, the head of the AU executive said on Thursday.
AU Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat said the African Union's rights organ, the Banjul-based African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights, would be tasked with investigating the allegations and incidences in Tigray, which have caused international condemnation.
Mahamat met with Demeke Mekonnen, Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, to discuss the modalities of engagement of the ACHPR in the investigation of alleged human rights violations in Tigray region.
"The principle of the investigation was proposed by Dr. Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of Ethiopia, during a Summit-level meeting of the AU Peace and Security Council held on 9 March 2021," the AU Commission said in a statement.
The Chairperson of the Commission welcomed the readiness of Ethiopian Government to cooperate with the African Union's Treaty Body.
He expressed his appreciation to the Government of Ethiopia for its openness to engage with the African Union and stated his confidence that the ACHPR will deliver on this important task.
Meanwhile, the ousted government of Tigray has vowed to continue the war against the Ethiopian Federal Government, claiming it was fighting to defend the region.
"While we reiterate our commitment to peace and respect to the international covenants in this conflict and our readiness to work with the relevant international bodies in the furtherance of peace, the Government of Tigray will continue to fight until we are liberated," said a statement issued by Getachew Reda, former Ethiopian Federal Government spokesperson who continues in the same role in the renegade Tigray state government.
The statement praised the US for increasingly calling for the immediate withdrawal of the Eritrean forces from the region.
The Tigray rebel group also voiced its support for the calls to investigate the human rights violations in the region.
Similar moves by the African Union to investigate the crimes in South Sudan since 2013 have remained without progress since the outcome of the investigations remained under lock and an international tribunal recommended to try the perpetrators remains in limbo.
Attacks by unidentified groups in Tigray region have left hundreds of helpless civilians in distress, dozens dead and many without essential supplies.
On Wednesday, the Ethiopian government airlifted 40 International diplomats into Tigray to prove that it was not blocking access to the region.
-0- PANA AO/AR 11March2021
