Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Addis Standard2
Published on 2024-02-20 12:11:40
The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has recently released a report highlighting the persisting challenges faced in the Tigray region. The report shows that despite a noticeable decline in widespread forced displacement following the Pretoria Peace Agreement signed in November 2022, isolated incidents continue to exacerbate grave human rights violations.
The 40-page report, released by the Commission, evaluated the human rights conditions across the five zones of the Tigray region from 7-30 July, 2023. The findings emphasized a substantial decrease in mass forced displacement following the Pretoria Peace Agreement. However, reports persist of isolated incidents, particularly from territories under the control of Amhara and Eritrean forces.
In February 2024, regional authorities reported a troubling influx of 12,000 new internally displaced persons (IDPs), suggesting that enduring challenges persist in select areas. The report stressed the imperative of conducting additional investigations into reports of ethnically targeted arbitrary detentions, threats, and harassment in regions outside the control of the interim administration. This emphasizes the essential requirement for the involvement of federal authorities, according to EHRC.
The report also highlighted ongoing isolated incidents of attacks, looting, and enforced disappearances targeting ethnic Tigrayan civilians in the North-Western, Western, and Southern zones that are currently under the control of Amhara and Eritrean forces.
Despite the Pretoria Peace Agreement, the Commission emphasized that internally displaced persons (IDPs) who have returned to their homes within areas under the control of Amhara forces encountered renewed challenges. These challenges included arbitrary detention, threats, and harassment, highlighting the intricate nature of the prevailing security situation.
Reports from last month revealed that approximately 7,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) from Western and North-Western Tigray, areas currently under the control of Amhara Forces, sought refuge in Endabaguna town, near Shire. A coordinator overseeing operations at the two IDP sites in Endabaguna reported that new displacements and arrivals have been documented since December 10, 2023, until recent days.
The EHRC also received information regarding the distribution of flyers in Alamata town, cautioning ethnic Tigrayan residents to evacuate promptly or confront repercussions. Subsequent investigations revealed that municipal authorities disclaimed responsibility for the distribution of the flyers, leaving the source undisclosed.
Authorities in the North-Western Zone communicated to the EHRC regarding allegations of looting, detention, abduction, and, in some instances, fatalities attributed to Eritrean forces against local residents, leading to the displacement of certain individuals. However, the Commission encountered limitations in verifying these allegations.
During the monitoring period, authorities of the Tigray Interim Administration in the South-Eastern and Central zones reported no fresh occurrences of mass displacement subsequent to the signing of the Pretoria Peace Agreement, which was highlighted by the EHRC as significant progress.
Currently, over one million people remain internally displaced as a result of the Tigray war, seeking shelter in IDP camps throughout the region. The EHRC report underscores the ongoing challenges in the Tigray region, requiring further attention and intervention from relevant authorities to address the persisting human rights violations and displacement issues.
Read the original article on Addis Standard
