Ethiopia – Human Rights Commissioner urges restraint and de-escalation in light of instability in Tigray

A press release issued by the Human Rights Office stated that the recent clashes between the Ethiopian army and regional forces highlighted the risk of worsening the human rights crisis in the north of the country.

The High Commissioner stressed the need for concerted and sustained efforts by all parties, with the assistance of the international community, to reduce tensions before it is too late. And he said: “Political dialogue and confidence-building measures are absolutely necessary, not resorting again to armed violence.”

Clashes between the Ethiopian National Defense Forces and the Tigray Regional Security Forces intensified on January 26, especially in the Taslimati and Lailai Taslimati regions, northwest of the region, near the Amhara border. Tigray forces withdrew from the Taslimati region on February 1.

Both sides have used drones, artillery and other lethal weapons. Numerous arrests and detentions were reported by both the NDF and Tigray security forces, during and after the clashes.

In the south and southeast of the Tigray region, near the Afar border, clashes between Tigray security forces and the Tigray Peace Forces, a rival faction, continue unabated.

More than one million civilians are still internally displaced as a result of the Tigray conflict that took place between 2020 and 2022, resulting in the deaths of many and the displacement of more than two million people. The exact death toll remains unclear, with widely varying estimates from different sources.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stressed the need for both sides to step back from the brink and work to resolve their differences by political means, and to immediately and independently investigate any alleged serious violations or abuses, regardless of the identity of their perpetrators.

He also expressed his concern about the recent tensions between Ethiopia and its neighbor Eritrea, warning that they may exacerbate the existing serious challenges in the field of human rights and humanitarian issues in both countries, and in the Horn of Africa region in general.