Addis Abeba — The International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia (ICHIREE) released its final report today detailing human rights violations committed during the two-year conflict before its mandate was terminated. The report documents and accuses all sides of potential war crimes and crimes against humanity amid staggering violence against civilians since fighting erupted in November 2020.
In the report released at the end of the Human Rights Council's 54th session, the commission implicated Ethiopian federal forces, Eritrean troops, and allied regional militias in systematic mass killings, widespread rape and sexual enslavement of women and girls, forced starvation, displacement, and arbitrary detentions of civilians.
It accused Tigrayan forces of carrying out their own campaign of killings, sexual violence, looting, and destruction in what commission chair Mohamed Chande Othman described as a "staggering scale and continuity of violence" against civilians caught in the crossfire.
While noting that its findings are likely just the tip of the iceberg, the commission said it did not have sufficient time or resources to make a determination on potential genocide or crimes of extermination. But Othman stressed the vital need for fuller investigations to establish facts and legal accountability.
With its mandate terminated after today's presentation, the commission issued a stern warning that the road to justice must not end here. It expressed grave concern over the continued presence of Eritrean forces in Tigray, saying their violations both before and after recent ceasefire deals underscore how impunity breeds further atrocities.
Commission expert Radhika Coomaraswamy said hopes for domestic accountability are "extremely remote," leaving victims desperate for regional and international action. Fellow expert Steven Ratner called it a major blow for victims that the commission's work was halted prematurely, stressing that "it is essential that this work continues."
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Othman urged the international community not to forget the conflict's victims. He called for strengthened monitoring of conditions on the ground and universal jurisdiction for prosecutions abroad. With alarming risks of further crimes if left unchecked, the commission said its final report must not be the final word. Justice and accountability are vital for sustainable peace, Othman emphasized.
The draft motion to extend the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia was not renewed and passed its deadline on October 4th,despite repeated appeals from leading human rights organizations worldwide calling for its extension.
In the weeks prior to this deadline, members of the Commission sounded alarms over the high risk of continued atrocities absent independent investigations into ongoing human rights abuses in the country. They expressed deep concerns about the potential for further crimes against civilians given the volatile climate in Ethiopia.
International human rights groups underscored the vital need for the UN Human Rights Council to utilize its mandate to help prevent rights violations and respond to emergencies such as those thoroughly documented in the Commission's latest report.
