Ethiopian Crisis: UN announces probe into alleged Tigray rights violations
Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - Alleged serious abuses and rights violations in Ethiopia’s Tigray region are to be investigated by the UN, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said on Thursday.
The probe, which will be carried out jointly by the High Commissioner’s Office and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC), is described “as part of the much-needed accountability process for the victims”.
The development comes after fighting began in the north Ethiopian state on 4 November last year, between forces loyal to regional power brokers and former national ruling party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), and the current national Government forces.
A UN statement said serious human rights violations and abuses have been reported, the UN rights office said in a statement.
It pointed to the “multiple actors involved in the conflict and the gravity of the reported violations”, and the need for an objective, independent investigation which will start “as soon as possible” and for an initial period of three months.
The agreement by OHCHR and the EHRC to collaborate, is the result of ongoing partnership and engagement, said the statement, “founded on shared objectives to advance and strengthen respect and protection of human rights, as well as accountability for violations of human rights law, committed by all parties” since early November.
-0- PANA MA 25March2021
