Item 4: Interactive Dialogue with the Commission of Experts on the situation of human rights in Ethiopia

Organisation: Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW)

Speaker: Claire Denman

Thank you, Mr President.

CSW thanks the Commission for its update.

The situation in Tigray remains dire, amid reports of massive destruction of civilian structures and appalling levels of SGBV.

We are concerned by the continuing presence of Eritrean troops, Amhara Regional Forces and Fano militia, all of whom are implicated in largescale commission of the gravest international crimes. 

Particularly alarming are reports of a renewed troop build-up by Eritrea, which has reportedly trained around 50,000 Fano militia, and its continuing collaboration with the Ethiopian army, which is responsible for the safety of Tigrayan civilians following the disarming of the TDF.

Persistent reports of looting, extrajudicial killings, SGBV and other egregious violations by occupying armed factions, and emerging evidence of earlier severe violations committed undercover of the communications blackout, underline the importance of the Commission’s work.

We therefore urge member states to ensure the Commission’s mandate is maintained for as long as required, and its work is funded sufficiently.

We reject inferences that this international mechanism, which is independent of parties to the conflict, undermines the peace process.

Lasting peace can never be achieved in the absence of justice; thus, we call on Ethiopia to cooperate with the Commission, facilitate access to every conflicted-affected area, thereby combatting impunity by ensuring tangible progress towards holding identified perpetrators accountable.

We also call for the complete withdrawal of Eritrean and Amhara forces and militia from Tigray, and for the AU Monitoring, Verification and Compliance Mission to prioritise the progress of these departures in its reporting.

CSW is concerned that the creation of an Interim Regional Authority is still pending, and with it, the release of a regional budget. The restoration of full services and humanitarian access are also incomplete.

We call for the release of this budget to be expedited, along with full restoration of services, including banking and social media, and unhindered humanitarian access to the entire region.

Thank you.