News: Ethiopia Rights Commission concerned by renewed fighting; urges return to dialogue

By Addis Standard Staff

Addis Abeba: The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) says it is worried about the renewal of conflict between Tigrayan forces and the Federal Government of Ethiopia (FGoE) last week. The commission called for a cessation of hostilities and resumption of dialogue, as it stated the civilian populations in the regions of Amhara, Tigray, and Afar have suffered significantly as a result of the intermittent war.

“EHRC calls on all parties to the conflict to cease hostilities and resume dialogue for a peaceful resolution of the conflict and reiterates its call for all parties to the conflict to uphold their obligations to preserve the lives, security, physical and moral integrity, and dignity of all civilians affected by armed conflict,” the statement said.

Similarly, EHRC called upon the parties to the conflict to protect and respect the right to life, security, and dignity, as well as the physicality and morality of every civilian in the conflict-affected areas. Furthermore, it emphasized that local and international mechanisms like civil societies, media, and international organizations such as the United Nations and African Union dispense efforts to bring about an immediate halt of hostilities, re-start, and continuation of talks as well as rights protection of impacted civilians.

Militarized hostilities re-erupted between Tigrayan forces and the federal government last week, in contrast to a months-long pause and simultaneous attempt at reaching a peaceful resolution. This is the latest round of conflict between both parties since the initial start of the war in November 2020.

The statement by EHRC comes following multiple actors and institutions such as the United States, Turkey, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, and AU Chairperson, Moussa Faki, who have raised concerns in regard to the situation and stressed a resumption of peace talks. AS