US acting Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Robert Godec faced calls for the Biden administration to label famine in Ethiopia's Tigray region the result of war crimes and genocide from Congressman Michael McCaul during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Tuesday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th June, 2021) US acting Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Robert Godec faced calls for the Biden administration to label famine in Ethiopia's Tigray region the result of war crimes and genocide from Congressman Michael McCaul during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Tuesday.
"Almost one million people are starving, and according to the UN, systematic rape and sexual violence is rampant... In my assessment, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and acts of genocide have been carried out against the Tigrayan people," committee ranking Republican McCaul said at the outset of the hearing.
When McCaul later pressed Godec on when a genocide declaration would be made, he replied: "The Secretary needs to make a decision and when he's ready, I'm sure that will happen."
McCaul emphasized the gravity of the situation and underscored the role that Congress plays in drawing attention to this crisis.
"The timing of this hearing couldn't be more appropriate with the ceasefire called just yesterday. For them to know that the eyes of Congress are watching, and the American people are watching this, and it needs to stop," McCaul said.
Ethiopia's government declared a unilateral ceasefire in the Tigray region, with a promise to halt fighting until the end of a crucial planting season in September, according to media reports.
Tigray is teetering on the edge of famine after more than seven months of fighting, prompting charges from the United Nations of Ethiopian soldiers "using starvation as a weapon of war."
Tigray rebels back a party that for years dominated Ethiopia's government before being sidelined by the new prime minister. The government's ceasefire announcement followed the recent rebel capture of the regional capital of Mekele.
