Ethiopia's Tigray: UN scraps formal call for peace
March 6, 2021
The decision comes amid alarm over growing hunger among Tigray's 6 million population. Reports of a massacre in the historic town of Axum have also surfaced.
Advertisement
The United Nations Security Council on Friday scrapped plans to issue a statement calling for an end to violence in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region, according to reports from three UN diplomats.
Ireland, which drafted the statement, decided not to push for approval after the council failed to reach a consensus due to objections by China, Russia and India.
The council had met for two days to negotiate a draft.
What is happening in Ethiopia's Tigray region?
In November, Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched military operations against the leadership of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the northern Tigray region's then-ruling party.
He said they were a response to TPLF attacks on federal army camps.
Ethiopia's Tigray region: Images of a humanitarian crisis
For months now, hardly any pictures or information have come out of Tigray in Ethiopia. The war has been raging on, leaving thousands dead, injured, and displaced. Food, medication, and protection have become a rarity.
Image: Maria Gerth-Niculescu/DW
Hundreds of patients with little medication
The war in Ethiopia's Tigray region has been going on since November 2020. This referral hospital in Tigray’s capital Mekele has received hundreds of patients with bullet or blast injuries. Doctors are working tirelessly but with limited means. There are frequent power cuts, and many hospitals lack medication and other supplies.
Image: Maria Gerth-Niculescu/DW
Left to die
Thousands of civilians have been wounded and killed. This man was attacked by Eritrean soldiers on his way back from church on St Micheal’s day. He said 30 priests were massacred at once. He survived after being left for dead in front of his house.
Image: Maria Gerth-Niculescu/DW
Tigray's children not spared the suffering
Dozens of children have also been brought here as a result of the conflict. Many have missing limbs, and some are orphaned.
Image: Maria Gerth-Niculescu/DW
Life back to normal?
On the streets of Mekele, life is almost back to normal from an outsider’s perspective. But every individual has a story to tell. The interim administration, presided over by Dr. Mulu Nega, has been put in place, but most residents don’t feel represented by this new regional government.
Image: Maria Gerth-Niculescu/DW
Spared from destruction and violence
Tigray's capital Mekele was largely spared the violence compared to other places. However, some areas were also hit, such as this road. The central government cut off telephone and internet connections for weeks. Some journalists were allowed into the region, but it remains difficult to get news from the ground, as many areas remain inaccessible because of insecurity.
Image: Maria Gerth-Niculescu/DW
Thousands of families displaced
Tens of thousands of people came to Mekele after fleeing insecurity throughout the region. They are being sheltered in schools or live in the community. But the real number in Tigray is much higher — over half a million people were forced to flee their homes.
Image: Maria Gerth-Niculescu/DW
No food, no medication, no bed to sleep
Conditions in the camps are challenging. There is a shortage of food, medication, mattresses, and other supplies. Sometimes, three to four people share one mattress. There is no proper garbage disposal, and illnesses are frequent.
Image: Maria Gerth-Niculescu/DW
Churches targeted by Eritrean forces
This priest said he walked for one month with his children to reach Mekele after Eritrean soldiers attacked his town. His niece was killed on the street, and a church was damaged. "Eritrean soldiers are against religious belief. They consciously target churches", he said.
Image: Maria Gerth-Niculescu/DW
Little help from Ethiopia's government
Some residents of Mekele are working tirelessly to distribute food and other items. Mahlet has been supporting displaced communities since the beginning when NGOs were not allowed into Tigray. The government is not doing enough, Mahlet says. "It’s not my job. I am just helping my people. This is the government’s job", she said. "I am mortified by what is going on in my country."
Image: Maria Gerth-Niculescu/DW
The risk of child malnourishment
Mahlet identified children in need and is trying to do her part to prevent looming malnutrition. These displaced children are waiting in line with their parents for macaroni distribution. Thousand of families have been displaced since the war started in November. According to the UN Children’s agency, UNICEF, 70,000 children in Tigray are at risk of severe malnutrition.
Image: Maria Gerth-Niculescu/DW
Several massacres reported
Several massacres have already been reported throughout Tigray. In the village of Dengolat, more than 150 people were murdered by Eritrean soldiers following the St. Mary celebrations at the end of November. Some of the survivors were hiding in the Mariam Dengolat Church, where hundreds of people had gathered for the yearly celebration.
Image: Maria Gerth-Niculescu/DW
Tigray's mass graves
The Mariam Denglat Church, where the St Mary’s celebrations were held before the massacre. Victims were buried in several mass graves after being left outside for more than a day. In other parts of Tigray, relatives who wanted to bury their relatives were reportedly shot while collecting the bodies.
Image: Maria Gerth-Niculescu/DW
Ethiopia's oldest mosque damaged
The Al-Nejashi mosque is the oldest in Ethiopia. Some locals assure it is the oldest mosque in Africa. It was hit during heavy fighting between the TPLF and the Ethiopian National Defense Forces. According to witnesses, the kitchen and other facilities of the mosque were also looted. The government has promised to repair the mosque.
Image: Maria Gerth-Niculescu/DW
Safe house for women
Hundreds of women have been raped by soldiers since the beginning of the conflict. Mekele’s referral hospital admitted 120 women with rape injuries or for pregnancy termination. More than 25 rape survivors from the war are sheltered in this safe house and receive psychological support.
Image: Maria Gerth-Niculescu/DW
Raped by Eritrean soldiers
Many women were gang-raped or assaulted with extreme violence. Such cases are common all over the Tigray region. In Adigrat, a doctor said one woman had to undergo surgery after being raped by 23 Eritrean soldiers. The UN has received reports of people being forced by military officers to abuse their own relatives sexually.
Image: Maria Gerth-Niculescu/DW
15 images1 | 15
Human rights groups say troops from neighboring Eritrea killed hundreds of children and other civilians in Tigray that same month.
Ethiopia and Eritrea deny that the latter is actively involved in Tigray.
Around 6 million people live in Tigray. According to UN humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock on Tuesday, at least 4.5 million of them need assistance, but the exact number is unclear.
A domestic or international issue?
China objected to the wording of the draft UN statement, demanding the removal of the phrase "violence in Tigray," another diplomat said.
This was opposed by Western countries on the council including Ireland, the country that sponsored the document, this diplomat said.
William Davison, International Crisis Group: No obvious remedy for territorial dispute between Amhara and Tigray elites
03:45
Russia allegedly backed China on its objection at the last minute.
Since the start of the violence in Tigray, these two countries have said the issue is a domestic one for Ethiopia and not the UN's business.
China and Russia wanted the draft to focus only on the dire humanitarian situation in the region, diplomats said.
India reportedly only wanted a minor change to the draft document.
New reports of massacre
Accounts of a massacre of several hundred people by Eritrean soldiers in the holy city of Axum in Tigray have been detailed in reports by the Associated Press and later Amnesty International this week.
Human Rights Watch echoed the reports on Friday, saying Eritrean armed forces "massacred scores of civilians, including children as young as 13," in the historic town of Axum in Tigray in November.