As the conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region shows no sign of coming to an end, the Centre for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC) has called for investigations into killing of civilians in the area.
One of the recent cases of human rights violation is a video posted online showing at least one civilian man burnt to death by armed men.
‘This incident fits into a wider pattern of brutal and deadly violence employed against civilians in recent years in Ethiopia’, CIVIC said in a statement.
Amnesty International (AI) had reported the alleged killing of civilians by fighters affiliated with the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) in Ethiopia’s Amhara region.
More than 2.1 million people have been displaced due to fighting between Ethiopian troops and the TPLF. The fighting started after the TPLF attacked a key Ethiopian military base in the region in November 2020.
Human Rights Watch (HRW), in a 2021 report, revealed that survivors of abuse were not getting treatment within the critical 72-hour window needed to prevent pregnancy and HIV due to the government’s obstruction of humanitarian assistance in Tigray.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) also said it has not been permitted to deliver medical and humanitarian supplies to the conflict-hit region for more than a year.
‘One of the latest unconscionable cases is a video posted online showing at least one civilian man burnt to death by armed men. This incident fits into a wider pattern of brutal and deadly violence employed against civilians in recent years in Ethiopia’, CIVIC’s Director in East Africa, Zlatko Gegic, said in the statement.
‘We welcome the Ethiopian government’s pledge to take legal actions against the perpetrators. And given the gravity of the ongoing abuses, we demand that actions are taken rapidly and are made public.
‘All parties to the conflict must break with the cycle of violence, take immediate actions to prevent further civilian casualties, and hold accountable all authors of killings, human rights violations, and abuses. Without accountability, violence against civilians persists and impunity prevails’.
The Ethiopian government recently announced a humanitarian truce in Tigray to allow sufficient humanitarian aid into the region.
Source: CIVIC
Photo source: Rod Waddington
