Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
The UN Commission of Inquiry into Atrocities Committed in Ethiopia will not have its mandate renewed, a UN spokesperson announced. The decision has sparked strong reactions from human rights activists, who say it is a betrayal of the victims and survivors who relied on the commission to investigate crimes committed in the country.
Established in 2021, the Commission of Inquiry was tasked with investigating crimes and human rights abuses committed in Ethiopia since the start of the war in the Tigray region. However, due to lack of funding, its activity will end in mid-October.
This decision was particularly disappointing for the European Union, which had initiated the creation of this commission. Although she contributed to the establishment of this commission, she did not submit a project to renew it within the allotted time frame.
For Haimanot Ashenafi, a member of Amnesty International in Addis Ababa, this decision means that Ethiopia is removed from the Human Rights Council’s agenda. He points out that the commission recently published a report highlighting continued crimes in the Amhara region, where conflicts between the national army and local militias continue to rage.
The failure to extend the mandate of the Commission of Inquiry is seen as a collective failure of the European Union and the member states of the United Nations. Furthermore, it represents a betrayal of the victims and survivors who relied on this commission to investigate and preserve evidence of atrocities committed in Ethiopia.
This decision is all the more difficult to accept as Brussels recently signed a cooperation agreement with Addis Ababa, seeking to “normalize” relations between the two parties. This apparent contradiction raises questions about the European Union’s real commitment to promoting human rights in Ethiopia.
It is essential that the crimes committed in Ethiopia are not forgotten and that justice is provided to the victims. The end of the mandate of the Commission of Inquiry highlights the importance of continued support from the international community to shed light on atrocities and hold those responsible to account.
It is necessary to continue raising awareness about the situation in Ethiopia and put in place concrete measures to protect human rights in the country. Human rights organizations and the international community must remain mobilized to ensure that justice is done and that such crimes do not happen again.