UN rights chief urges Ethiopia and Eritrea to de‑escalate tensions

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, on Tuesday called on both Ethiopia and Eritrea to take urgent steps towards de-escalation, amid the precarious situation in the Tigray region,” the UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani told the bi-weekly press conference in Geneva today (10 Feb).

This comes after Ethiopia accused Eritrea of a massacre in Tigray and further called on its military to exit its territory.

“Recent fighting between the Ethiopian army and regional forces has highlighted the risk of a deepening human rights crisis in the north of the country.”

“The situation remains highly volatile, and we fear that it will deteriorate, worsening the region’s already precarious human rights and humanitarian situation,” Shamdasani said.

“There must be concerted and sustained efforts by all parties, with the help of the international community, to de-escalate tensions before it is too late. Political dialogue and confidence-building measures are urgently needed - not renewed resort to armed conflict.”

Clashes between the Ethiopian National Defence Forces (ENDF) and the regional Tigray Security Forces (TSF) intensified on 26 January, particularly in the areas of Tselemti and Laelay Tselemti, in the region’s north-west, close to the Amhara border. The TSF withdrew from the Tselemti area on 1 February.

“Drones, artillery and other powerful weapons were used by both sides. Several arrests and detentions by both the ENDF and the TSF have been reported – during the clashes and subsequently,” the spokesperson said.

“Civilians are once again caught in between escalating tensions, with both the TSF and the ENDF reportedly carrying out arrests for perceived affiliation with the opposing side. This must stop.”

In the south and south-east of the Tigray region, near the Afar border, clashes between the TSF and the “Tigray Peace Forces”, a rival faction, continue unabated.

Over a million civilians remain internally displaced from the 2020-2022 Tigray conflict that left many people dead and uprooted more than two million. The exact death toll remains unclear, with widely differing estimates from different sources.

“Both sides must step back from the brink and work to resolve their differences through political means. Alleged serious violations or abuses must be promptly and independently investigated, irrespective of the perpetrators,” Shamdasani said.

“The High Commissioner has also expressed concern at recent tensions between Ethiopia and neighbouring Eritrea, warning that they risked exacerbating the already serious human rights and humanitarian challenges in both countries, and across the wider Horn of Africa.”