UN genocide advisor raises the red flag on the Tigray war

GOOBJOOG NEWS|TIGRAY: The UN has warned of a deteriorating situation in Ethiopia following a near one-year-long war in the Tigray region noting the Horn of Africa nation was on the brink of a genocide.

Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide, Alice Wairimu Nderitu said in a statement Friday the situation in the Tigray region and other regions in Ethiopia was fast worsening and called on authorities there and the African Union to expedite a resolution of the violence.

“I urge the Government of Ethiopia to fulfil its responsibility and enhance efforts to prevent further escalation of violence and tensions among communities, which have reached an unprecedented level. This responsibility includes working towards a cessation of the ongoing hostilities” said the Special Adviser.

She pointed out the spread of hate messages and incitement along community lines especially on social media was a worrying trend and could further fuel ethnic tensions.  The use of pejorative and dehumanizing language like “cancer”, “devil”, “weed” and “bud” to refer to the Tigray conflict is of utmost concern.”

The remarks come amid an escalation of violence which has now roped in Afar, Somali and Amhara and Oromo regions. The Federal Government has mobilised troops from these regions to counter the Tigray Defence Forces which have in recent weeks captured hundreds of federal troops.

Meanwhile, the Tigray rebels set out demands for talks with the Federal Government Friday. “It has become increasingly obvious that the current regime has neither the legitimacy and the constitutional mandate nor the wherewithal to govern the country,” reads part of the statement.

“In light of this, we are calling for the commitment of a transitional arrangement and an all-inclusive political process that includes the major political actors in the country with a view to addressing the current political and constitutional problems afflicting the country,” TPLF said.