UN report: there is “overwhelming risk” of continued Atrocity Crimes in Ethiopia

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – A United Nations Commission of Rights experts warned Tuesday there is an “overwhelming risk” that atrocities and crimes against humanity will continue to occur in war-torn Ethiopia, despite last year’s ceasefire agreement between government forces and the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front, UN News reports.

In a report published Tuesday, the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia said the ongoing volatile situation in the country was fertile ground for a continuation of the war crimes committed in Ethiopia since the recent conflict over the Tigray region erupted on November 3, 2020.

“We are gravely concerned about the situation in Ethiopia and the potential for future atrocities,” Mohamed Chande Othman, Chairperson of the Commission, said in a statement. “Our report shows that the overwhelming majority of risk factors for future atrocity crimes are present in Ethiopia, including ongoing serious violations, widespread violence and instability, and deeply entrenched impunity.”

In an earlier report delivered to the UN Human Rights Council last month, the Commission reported its investigators assessed there are a number of high-risk factors that could lead to “the most serious crimes against humankind,” including genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity as identified in the UN Framework of Analysis for Atrocity Crimes.

“There is a very real and imminent risk that the situation will deteriorate further, and it is incumbent upon the international community to ensure that investigations persist so human rights violations can be addressed, and the worst tragedies averted,” Steven Ratner, one of the Commission’s independent experts said in a statement.

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