Politics

United States ‘deeply troubled’ over report of ethnic cleansing in Ethiopia’s Tigray region

Published

2 years ago

April 9, 2022

The United States has expressed concerns over a recent report of ethnic cleansing in Ethiopia’s Tigray region on natives and has called for an end to unlawful detentions based on ethnicity.

The US in a statement by the State Department spokesman, Ned Price, “notes with the utmost alarm that thousands of Ethiopians of Tigrayan ethnicity reportedly continue to be detained arbitrarily in life-threatening conditions in western Tigray,”

We are appalled by reports of ethnically-based atrocities in western Tigray. All parties must stop the abuses and cooperate with international human rights monitors. https://t.co/8H2C1vdWei

— Ned Price (@StateDeptSpox) April 8, 2022

“We are deeply troubled by the report’s finding that these acts amount to ethnic cleansing,” Price said in the statement.

Slamreportafrica.com reported earlier in the week that two international human rights groups, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, accused Ethiopian forces from the Amhara region of committing war crimes and ethnic cleansing in the neighboring Tigray region.

The United States also called for the immediate release of any remaining detainees and called on relevant authorities to grant international monitors access to all detention facilities.

“We urge the Government of Ethiopia to cooperate with the UN Commission of Experts on Human Rights in Ethiopia.” The statement reads.

Washington also reiterated her “firm position that there must be credible investigations into and accountability for atrocities committed by any party to the conflict as part of any lasting solution to the crisis”

The Tigray region is the northernmost regional state of Ethiopia. The Region is the homeland of the Tigrayan, Irob, and Kunama people. Formerly known as Region 1, its capital and largest city are Mekelle. Tigray is the fifth-largest by area, the fifth-most populous, and the fifth-most densely populated of the 11 regional states in Ethiopia. 96 percent of Tigrayans are Orthodox Christian.

The region has seen some of the worst violence in the war, which has pitted Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government and its allies from the Amhara region against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). The TPLF dominated Ethiopia’s government before Abiy’s rise to power in 2018.

Related Topics:Ethiopia Featured tigray region

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Politics

Uganda begins withdrawal of troops from eastern Congo DR

Published

22 mins ago

December 10, 2023

Ifeoluwa Dada

Uganda has started the withdrawal of 1,000 troops deployed for a regional peacekeeping mission in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

According to a statement released by the military, Uganda’s decision not to extend the mandate of the East African Community Regional Force (EACRF) past December 8 prompted the withdrawal.

At its meetings in Arusha, Tanzania, the CDF affirmed the DRC’s decision and advised the defence ministers of the East African Community (EAC) to formally terminate the EACRF’s operations in the country’s vast eastern region, effective December 8.

UPDF’s contingent spokesperson, Capt. Ahmad Hassan Kato, “UPDF will ensure to expedite the pull-out of its forces and equipment within the approved timelines as enshrined in the extraordinary meeting of EAC CDFS (Chief of Defense Forces) held on December 6.”

“The Uganda contingent urges all armed groups (in the Eastern DRC) to facilitate the withdrawal of the UPDF troops by observing a total ceasefire to allow the forces to exit the mission area safely,” said Kato.

Aside from EAC forces, the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, also known as (MONUSCO), has around 12,400 troops in the Congo, with a cost of over $1 billion per year.

Lately, there has been an upsurge in violence in Congo, DR. High rates of civilian casualties and displacement have been caused by hostilities with neighbouring countries, political violence, extrajudicial killings by security forces, and conflicts between militant groups over territory and natural resources.

According to the United Nations, more than 100 armed groups and local militias operate in the eastern DRC.

Politics

Morocco joins PPCA to phase out coal

Published

1 day ago

December 9, 2023

Ifeoluwa Dada

Morocco has joined an international campaign to phase out coal, Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA), an effort to secure renewable energies in the next seven years.

With Morocco, PPCA has 60 national governments united by the desire to make a clean break with coal-fired power generation.

The United States, the United Arab Emirates, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, the Dominican Republic, Iceland, Kosovo, Malta, and Norway joined the global initiative earlier at the COP 28 climate summit, according to a statement from PPCA.

Without providing a timeline, the PPCA stated that Morocco “will work together with the PPCA to develop a plan for phasing (coal) out.”

Africa bears the least responsibility for climate change, yet it is already experiencing more severe effects than most other regions of the world.

The continent has the lowest carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per capita of any region, contributing less than 3% of global energy-related CO2 emissions to date. Africa is home to nearly one-fifth of the world’s current population.

According to official figures, about 70% of Morocco’s electricity is generated from coal, with 20% coming from renewable sources thus far this year. By 2030, Morocco wants to increase the proportion of renewable energy in its energy mix to over 52%.