Regional and international actors must act now to help deescalate mounting conflict in Ethiopia, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) said today. Ethiopia stands on the brink of resuming widespread conflict, following reports of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front’s (TPLF) seizure of several airports in Tigray and offensive against federal forces in Amhara and Afar, increasing drone strikes on humanitarian aid by the national government, and the announcement of an alliance between rebel groups that aims to topple the federal government.
“The cancellation of flights to Tigray is an alarming sign of worsening tensions,” said a representative from the Organization of Justice and Accountability in the Horn of Africa (OJAH), whose identity is not disclosed for security reasons. “Civilians were already bracing for possible renewed conflict trying to access cash, stock essential food and supplies, and prepare for further disruption. Health facilities face critical shortages of medicines and supplies, while any escalation risks disrupting telecommunications, banking, transport, and humanitarian access. All parties must exercise restraint, protect civilians and essential services, and uphold international human rights and humanitarian law.”
“For the last four years PHR and our Ethiopian partners like OJAH have said repeatedly: impunity for violence in Ethiopia’s conflict will only fuel continued violence. Sadly, we are seeing these warnings come to fruition today,” said Lindsey Green, deputy director of research at PHR. “For civilians, this violence creates real fears of repeats of the mass atrocities documented by the UN and organizations like PHR from 2020 to 2022 and beyond. The regional and international community must act now to deescalate the conflict and find pathways for lasting peace through survivor-centered justice and accountability, before more civilians in Ethiopia suffer grave harm. PHR calls for the protection of health workers in Ethiopia as they prepare for and respond to the escalation in conflict, and for all actors to comply with international law.”
Renewed violence is occurring against the backdrop of years of human rights violations, including conflict-related sexual violence, attacks on health care and global health aid cuts, and failure to secure accountability for past violations. Following the conflict from 2020-2022, PHR and OJAH are not aware of a single prosecution for these international crimes. Both the African Union (AU) and the UN shuttered their investigation on Ethiopia following the signing of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement; atrocities continued to be perpetrated in the years that followed despite the agreement.
Since 2021, PHR and OJAH have partnered to document widespread, systematic, and on-going human rights violations against civilian populations and the health care system across Ethiopia. PHR and OJAH’s research has found widespread sexual violence including rape and reproductive violence intended to prevention women and girls from having children in the future. The organizations have also documented ongoing attacks on health care facilities, ambulances, and health care workers, which have included killings of personnel, looting and military occupation of health care facilities, and direct strikes on medical infrastructure. These human rights violations have persisted amid impunity for these crimes and have devastated a health care system already weakened by armed conflict and declines in global health funding.
“Ethiopia cannot afford a return to the mass atrocities we have documented over the past several years, including widespread conflict-related sexual violence and attacks on health care,” said Green. “Failure to credibly investigate these violations and hold perpetrators accountable has allowed impunity to take root, sending a dangerous message to combatants that these tactics can be used without consequence. Renewed violence puts civilians, health workers, and communities already devastated by conflict at grave risk. The international community, including the AU and UN, must act immediately to deescalate violence and protect civilians.”
Urgent action is needed to ensure that past atrocities are not repeated. All parties to the conflict, including the national government and all armed opposition groups, must ensure unimpeded humanitarian access, access to essential health care services for people affected by the conflict, and protect health care from attack. The Ethiopian government and international actors must also ensure that independent documentation and investigations of human rights violations, and follow credible, survivor-centered pathways towards accountability.
Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) is a New York-based advocacy organization that uses science and medicine to prevent mass atrocities and severe human rights violations. Learn more here.