Afar, Ethiopia. March 2, 2022. UNICEF Ethiopia/2022/Pouget
Nairobi and The Hague, March 25, 2022 – Civilians continue to bear the brunt of violence in Ethiopia as the conflict in Tigray region shows no sign of coming to an end. In recent months, civilians have suffered brutal deaths – including at least one being burned alive – preventable death, harm, and destruction of property from airstrikes in Tigray and Afar.
Zlatko Gegic, CIVIC’s Director in East Africa shared this statement:
“Brutal attacks against civilians in several parts of Ethiopia continue despite calls for all parties to the conflict to halt such violence. The targeting of civilians has been a predominant feature of the conflict in Ethiopia with several reports of human rights groups pointing to intentional killings of civilians, airstrikes on civilian areas, and the destruction of civilian infrastructure.
One of the latest unconscionable cases is a video posted online showing at least one civilian man burnt to death by armed men. This incident fits into a wider pattern of brutal and deadly violence employed against civilians in recent years in Ethiopia.
We welcome the Ethiopian government’s pledge to take legal actions against the perpetrators. And given the gravity of the ongoing abuses, we demand that actions are taken rapidly and are made public.
While this incident should be immediately investigated and those responsible held accountable, many more incidents of civilian suffering have not been resolved.
All parties to the conflict must break with the cycle of violence, take immediate actions to prevent further civilian casualties, and hold accountable all authors of killings, human rights violations, and abuses. Without accountability, violence against civilians persists and impunity prevails.”
For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:
- Hajer Naili, hnaili@civiliansinconflict.org, +33 06 03 50 53 93 / +1 917 889 5982 (WhatsApp)
- CIVIC’s global media team: comms@civiliansinconflict.org
