A UN special advisor expressed grave concern Tuesday over the rising threat of genocide and related crimes in Ethiopia. UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide Alice Wairimu Nderitu called attention to ongoing battles between government military forces and local militias, highlighting the critical need to address serious human rights violations such as mass executions, sexual assault and the destruction of property.

According to Nderitu, “The suffering of innocent civilians should never be accepted as inevitable; rather, it must reinforce our commitment to ensure that impunity does not prevail and that all possible prevention actions are prioritized.”

Nderitu also cited incidents of ethnic violence against Tigrayan citizens, including gang rape and the use of disparaging language during attacks. In addition, Nderitu voiced concern about reports of Eritrean forces in Ethiopia and called for accountability actions to be taken against them.

The conflict, which began in November 2020 as a result of tensions between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and government forces, resulted in a series of horrific human rights violations and war crimes, including ethnic cleansing and armed drone assaults. The fighting ended only in November 2022, when the parties signed the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (COHA).

Unfortunately, the success of the peace agreement was limited, as reports revealed several incidences of sexual attacks against women in the Tigray region, typically perpetrated by multiple individuals. The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) also revealed a large number of civilian deaths and injuries as a result of heavy artillery fire in the Amhara region.

In 2021, the UN established a body to investigate human rights abuses in the Ethiopia-Tigray conflict, known as the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia (ICHREE). On October 3, the ICHREE warned that there remains a “high risk of further atrocity crimes in the country.” Specifically, the ICHREE said, “[O]ther armed actors continue to commit atrocities in parts of Tigray region, and key…provisions [of the ceasefire] have not been implemented. Meanwhile, the national human rights situation has deteriorated abruptly.” Despite international calls to continue the ICHREE’s mandate, the body’s mandate expired earlier this month. 

Nderitu emphasized that Ethiopia’s condition has numerous danger factors for genocide and other atrocities. She said there is a crucial need for regional and international communities to work together to cease the violence and mitigate its destructive consequences.