Ethiopia rejects ‘international interference’ in its affairs
Ethiopia urged the international community to refrain from “unwelcome and unlawful acts of interference” in its affairs following calls to end the conflict in the northern Tigray region.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has called the military offensive a “law-enforcement operation”, BBC wrote.
Hundreds of people have reportedly been killed and thousands have been forced from their homes.
Aid groups fear the conflict could trigger a humanitarian crisis and destabilize the Horn of Africa region.
The UN said it was alarmed by the threat of major hostilities if tahe Ethiopian army advanced on Tigray’s capital, Mekelle, home to about 500,000 people.
In a statement released on Wednesday morning, Abiy said when it came to help from outside “the international community should stand by until the government of Ethiopia submits its requests for assistance”.
On Tuesday, a UN Security Council meeting to discuss the fighting in Tigray ended without a statement, according to AFP news agency, with African countries reportedly requesting more time to allow for diplomatic efforts by the African Union to continue.
Meanwhile, the EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, met with Ethiopia’s foreign minister to discuss the conflict.
“I expressed my great concern regarding increasing ethnictargeted violence, numerous casualties and violations of human rights and of international humanitarian law,” Borrell said after their Tuesday meeting.
On Sunday, Abiy issued a 72-hour ultimatum to Tigray’s forces, telling them to surrender as they were “at a point of no return”.
But Tigray’s forces have vowed to keep fighting, with their leader, Debretsion Gebremichael, saying they are “ready to die in defense of our right to administer our region”.
Meanwhile, Ethiopia’s stateappointed Human Rights Commission accused a youth group from the Tigray region of being behind a massacre earlier this month in which it says more than 600 civilians were killed.
The commission said the group stabbed, bludgeoned and burned to death non-tigrayan residents of the town of MaiKadra with the collusion of local forces.
Human rights group Amnesty International first highlighted reports of a massacre in MaiKadra but was unable to confirm who was behind it, or exactly how many died.
The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), a political party which controls Tigray, denied involvement, and called for an independent international investigation into the killings.
The conflict started after Ethiopia’s central government accused the TPLF of holding an illegal election and attacking a military base to steal weapons.
In response, Abiy — a former Nobel Peace Prize winner
— ordered a military offensive against forces in Tigray, accusing them of treason.
The TPLF sees the central government as illegitimate, arguing Abiy does not have a mandate to lead the country after postponing national elections because of coronavirus.
UN worried
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet expressed “alarm at reports of a heavy buildup of tanks and artillery around Mekelle”.
She called on all sides to give
“clear and unambiguous orders to their forces” to spare civilians.
“The highly aggressive rhetoric on both sides regarding the fight for Mekelle is dangerously provocative and risks placing already vulnerable and frightened civilians in grave danger,” Bachelet said.
“I fear such rhetoric will lead to further violations of international humanitarian law.”
The rhetoric has been ramped up in recent days. On Sunday, the Ethiopian Army said there would be “no mercy” for Mekelle’s residents when its soldiers “encircle” the city.
Such talk could constitute a war crime, Bachelet said.
Abiy has repeatedly said the Ethiopian army would protect civilians in its campaign against forces in Tigray.
But Bachelet said a virtual communications blackout in Tigray was making it difficult for the UN to monitor the human rights and humanitarian situation.
At least 40,000 refugees have already crossed into neighboring Sudan. The UN refugee agency has said it is preparing for up to 200,000 people to arrive over the next six months if the fighting continues.