GENEVA: The United Nations rights chief called Tuesday on all parties in the conflicts in Ethiopia to urgently de-escalate amid a precarious situation in the Tigray region.
Recent clashes between the Ethiopian army and regional forces in Tigray highlight the risk of a return to full conflict and a deepening of the human rights crisis in the northern region, Volker Turk warned.
“The situation remains highly volatile, and we fear it will further deteriorate, worsening the region’s already precarious human rights and humanitarian situation,” he said in a statement.
“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.”
The UN rights chief insisted “political dialogue and confidence-building measures are urgently needed — not renewed resort to armed violence.”
The renewed tensions risk a return to conflict following a war between Ethiopian forces and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) that the African Union says killed at least 600,000 people before it ended in late 2022.
More than one million civilians remain internally displaced since the civil war, the UN rights office said.
It voiced deep concern over hostilities that intensified late last month between the Ethiopian military and the regional Tigray Security Forces (TSF) in Tsemlet, western Tigray, an area claimed by forces from the neighboring Amhara region.
The TSF withdrew from the area on February 1.
The rights office highlighted that drones, artillery and other powerful weapons were used by both sides, and both sides engaged in arrests and detentions, Turk saying these activities “must stop.”
In the south and southeast of the Tigray region, near the Afar border, clashes are also continuing between the TSF and rival faction the Tigray Peace Forces.
“Both sides must step back from the brink and work to resolve their differences through political means,” Turk said.
He demanded that all allegations of serious violations and abuses “be promptly and independently investigated, irrespective of the perpetrators.”