The United States has announced measures against Ethiopian and Eritrean officials
The United States has announced that it will impose travel restrictions on Ethiopian and Eritrean officials who accuse it of adding fuel to the fire in the armed conflict in the Ethiopian province of Tigray , stating that “they have not taken significant steps to end the hostilities.”
“The people of Tigray continue to suffer from human rights abuses, abuses and atrocities and are in dire need of humanitarian assistance, which is being hampered by the Ethiopian and Eritrean militias and other armed elements,” said US Secretary of State John Kerry . a press release issued by the State Department.
” Despite much diplomatic effort, the warring parties in the Tigray conflict have not taken significant steps to end hostilities or reach a peaceful solution to the political crisis,” he said . Visa
Restrictions (visas) will be imposed on “current or former Ethiopian and Eritrean government officials, members of the security forces and others”, including “regular and unruly forces deployed by Amhara and members of the Liberation Front (TPLF) “, adds the head of the American diplomacy.
The United States also intends to impose “large-scale” restrictions on financial assistance and security cooperation in Ethiopia, although it will continue to provide humanitarian assistance in areas such as health and food. , education.
“The United States strongly condemns killings, forced displacement, systematic sexual violence and other human rights abuses and abuses, ” Blinken said . “We are also horrified by the destruction of public goods such as water sources, hospitals and health facilities in Tigray.”
“Horrible” situation
The current situation in Tigray is “horrific”, with people dying of starvation and rape multiplying, complained the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tandos Antanom Gebreses , who hails from the province of on May 17th.
“As we speak, the situation in Tigray is, to put it bluntly, horrible! “It’s absolutely horrible,” he said, adding that “people are starving” and “rapes are becoming more common.”
On November 4, 2020, the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abi Ahmed, the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, announced that it had ordered the federal army to intervene in Tigray to arrest and disarm the TPLF leadership, which it accused of attacking federal forces camps. The TPLF, which had been in power in the province until then, was practically in conflict with the central government after losing power at the federal level three years earlier.
He promised victory within a few weeks, but six months after the occupation of Meckle , the provincial capital, by the federal army, fighting continues and the humanitarian situation is alarming the international community.
After months of denials, the Ethiopian government has finally admitted that Eritrean troops were operating in the field, on the side of its own forces, who have been accused of committing atrocities – something that Asmara denies.
