After the violence carried out by the Eritrean army that currently occupies the northern region of Tigray, government officials have declared their intention to order the withdrawal of troops from the area. These had been charged with supporting the Ethiopian government's campaign against the Tigray rebels. Reports provided by United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (OCHA) , Mark Lowcock, however, highlighted how Eritrean troops were responsible for raping, killing, starving and forcing the local population into forced displacements through the mountain villages of the region.
According to Lowcock, in addition to rounding up and torturing displaced civilians, these troops are using hunger as a weapon of war. They are burning crops, markets and blocking food supplies in villages. If not curbed, these events could lead - Lowcock warned - to a situation similar to the great famine that struck Ethiopia in 1984. In response to these allegations, the Ethiopian Ambassador to the United Nations declared that the Eritrean army is expected to leave the region shortly, meaning that the withdrawal would only be a matter of "finalizing the final details of some routine practices". However, these statements do not provide a guarantee that the complete removal of Eritrean forces is indeed imminent. Unfortunately,
The human cost of the conflict in Tigray is worrying: the fighting has claimed the lives of thousands of civilians, forcing over two million people to flee their homes. The humanitarian situation has reached such gravity that the Security Council expressed its concern in a statement issued last March.
Regarding the food emergency suffered by the Tigrinya population, Lowcock concluded his statement by adding that about 350,000 people are now in conditions comparable to famine. As a result, the international community has requested the Ethiopian government to order the immediate withdrawal of Eritrean troops and pressured the UN Security Council to intervene more directly.
Sources:
https://apnews.com/article/only-on-ap-eritrea-africa-religion-9fe9140b76da946e4fa65095a1d5b04f
Author: Sergio Gomez, Editor: Xavier Atkins; Translator: Ester Zangrandi
