The conflict in the northern Ethiopian region of Tigray, with reported mass killings and the region's suspected blockade, risks getting out of control and spilling across the border, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said on Friday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th November, 2020) The conflict in the northern Ethiopian region of Tigray, with reported mass killings and the region's suspected blockade, risks getting out of control and spilling across the border, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said on Friday.
"There is a risk this situation will spiral totally out of control, leading to heavy casualties and destruction, as well as mass displacement within Ethiopia itself and across borders," Bachelet was quoted as saying in a press release by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Citing a report by Amnesty International in which the watchdog claimed mass killings in the Mai-Kadra town in Tigray's southwest, the UN human rights chief called for a full inquiry and said that if verified, these killings would "of course amount to war crimes."
"However, the first priority right now must be to stop the fighting and prevent any further atrocities from taking place," she added.
Bachelet also sounded alarm over reports about disruptions of essential civilian amenities in the conflict zone, such as water and electricity, and the progressing blockade of region and its civilian population. The UN official warned the sides that a protracted civil conflict would hurt both Tigray and entire Ethiopia, "undoing years of vital development progress" and risking to "easily spill across borders."
The conflict in Tigray began last week after the Federal government accused the local authorities, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), of attacking a government military base. Ensuing clashes led to multiple casualties on both sides.
The animosity between them has been brewing since September, when the TPLF held local elections without getting the cabinet's authorization. The elections were supposed to take place earlier, but were postponed over COVID-19.
