Sexual violence is used as a weapon of war in the Ethiopian Tigray, the UN says

Sexual violence is used as a weapon of war in Ethiopia’s Tigray, the UN chief of staff told the Security Council on Thursday, urging the US envoy to challenge the body’s silence. and asked, “Don’t African lives matter as much as other countries?”

UN official Mark Lowcock said the humanitarian crisis in Tigray had deteriorated over the past month with problems accessing access and people starving to death. He said the world body had seen no evidence that soldiers in neighboring Eritrea, accused of massacres and murders in Tigray, had withdrawn.

“To be very clear: the conflict is not over and things are not getting better,” Lowcock said, according to his notes for the private briefing requested by the United States.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Thursday’s briefing was the fifth meeting of the private council since fighting broke out between Ethiopian federal government troops and the Tigray’s former ruling party in November, according to diplomats familiar with his statements.

“The Security Council has joined Syria, Yemen and even Burma, where we were able to meet to issue a statement,” he said, according to diplomats. “We ask the council to reconsider a statement on Ethiopia … Victims should know that the Security Council is concerned about this conflict.”

So far, the council has not been able to agree on a public statement on Tigray, with Western countries facing Russia and China, according to which diplomats question whether the body – which is responsible for maintaining international peace and security – should to be involved in the crisis.

The conflict has killed thousands of people and forced hundreds of thousands more of their homes into the mountainous region of about 5 million. Eritrea has been aiding Ethiopian troops, although Eritrea has repeatedly denied that its forces were in Tigray.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has acknowledged the Eritrean presence and the United Nations and the United States have demanded that Eritrean troops withdraw from Tigray.

“Neither the UN nor any of the humanitarian agencies we work with have seen evidence of Eritrea’s withdrawal,” Lowcock said.

8 YEAR OLD GIRLS

Lowcock said he had received a report before Thursday that 150 people had died of starvation in Tigray and warned that “hunger as a weapon of war is a violation.”

Dr. Fasika Amdeselassie, the top public health official in the interim administration appointed by the government in Tigray, told Reuters that at least 829 cases of sexual assault had been reported in five hospitals since the conflict began. Read more

“There is no doubt that sexual violence is being used in this conflict as a weapon of war,” said Lowcock, who added that most of the rapes were committed by uniformed men, with accusations on all sides in the war. .

“Nearly a quarter of reports received by an agency involve mass rapes, and several men assault the victim; in some cases, women have been repeatedly raped for several days. Girls up to the age of eight are being attacked.” , said Lowcock.

UN Ambassador to Ethiopia Taye Atskeselassie Amde told Reuters that the government is investigating all rights violations. He accused Lowcock of “behaving not as a humanitarian, but as an enemy determined to demand some form of retribution.”

“Human rights violations are too serious and serious to be the subject of speculation. It is unfortunate that the head of the OCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) has appealed to the Council of UN Security, “he said, adding that” there is no gap in humanitarian access. “

Eritrea’s UN mission in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Lowcock’s statements. Last month, Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel said sexual violence and rape “are an abomination to Eritrean society” and that they should be severely punished if they occur.

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