US, Allies Express Concern Over Conflicts In Northern Ethiopia

By Samuel Ouma [caption id="attachment_101407" align="alignnone" width="1400"] Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed[/caption] The United States of America, alongside its allies, have called on the Government of Ethiopia and its northern region of Tigray to end the ongoing hostilities. In a joint statement, Australia, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States are profoundly concerned by the escalation of the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis in northern Ethiopia. “We call on the Government of Ethiopia and the Tigray regional authorities to immediately halt their military offensives, agree to a cessation of hostilities, allow for unhindered and sustained humanitarian access, and pursue a negotiated settlement through peace talks under an African Union-led process,” read the statement. At the same time, the countries castigated Eritrea over involvement in the Tigray massacres, demanding that it withdraws its forces from northern Ethiopia. "We also condemn the escalating involvement of Eritrean military forces in northern Ethiopia.  We call on Eritrean forces to cease their military operations and withdraw from northern Ethiopia," they added. Multiple reports, including the joint investigation report of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission/Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the recent report of the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia (ICHREE), have documented human rights abuses committed by Ethiopian and Eritrean government forces, Tigrayan forces, and other armed actors, such as Fano militia. Human rights abuses documented in these reports include unlawful killings, physical abuse, and gender-based violence. The western nations also called on all parties involved in the conflict to allow unhindered humanitarian access, ensure the safety and security of humanitarian workers, and cooperate with, and facilitate access for, international human rights monitors.