Subject: Protecting humanitarian work following the deaths of three aid workers in Tigray
On 25 June, one Spanish aid worker, María Hernández, and two Ethiopian aid workers, Yohannes Halefom Reda and Tedros Gebremariam Gebremichael, were killed in Tigray. All three worked for Médecins Sans Frontières. Since November 2020, 11 humanitarian workers have died in this conflict alone. Unfortunately, however, this is becoming a global trend. In 2019 there were 483 attacks on humanitarian personnel – a new record – 125 of whom were murdered, notably in Syria, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan and the Central African Republic.
1. What will the Commission do to ensure that there is an investigation into the deaths of María Hernández, Yohannes Halefom Reda and Tedros Gebremariam Gebremichael and that those responsible are brought to justice on charges of international humanitarian law violations?
2. What action has the Commission taken so far with the warring factions in Tigray in order to effectively protect humanitarian work and bring an end to attacks on civilians and humanitarian workers?
3. What measures has the Commission taken to safeguard humanitarian work and ensure compliance with international humanitarian law in view of the dramatic increase in attacks around the world?
Answer given by Mr Lenarčič on behalf of the European Commission
(13 September 2021)
The EU is extremely concerned about the situation in Tigray. Since the start of the conflict, it has called several times for an end to violence, the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers, and the safe and unfettered humanitarian access in all areas. The EU has consistently recalled the obligation of all parties to the conflict to adhere to international humanitarian law (IHL) (1), has strongly condemned the targeting of civilians and humanitarian workers, including the killings of 25 June 2021 (2), and called for independent investigations.
In parallel, the EU has been engaging with all the parties for a peaceful solution and is coordinating closely with the international community to that end.
The EU supported the investigations conducted by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission to bring perpetrators of human rights violations to justice. The United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution, tabled by the EU and its Member States, to ensure regular reports by the OHCHR on Tigray (3).
The EU will continue to put the promotion and application of IHL at the heart of its external action, also by strengthening its external instruments, including through the leveraging of the EU’s political and economic influence to promote compliance (4).
Ensuring the protection of humanitarian workers is a key concern. The EU has undertaken major diplomatic efforts and co-organised a series of meetings at the United Nations to discuss with international community representatives the main challenges towards the safety and security of humanitarian and medical workers in armed conflicts, and to seek detailed, practical solutions to the implementation of IHL in such contexts (5).
⋅1∙ https://ec.europa.eu/echo/news/eu-us-joint-statement-humanitarian-emergency-tigray_en
⋅2∙ https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-homepage/100801/statement-high-representativevice-president-josep-borrell-and-commissioner-crisis-
management_en
⋅3∙ A/HRC/47/L.20/Rev.1 on the situation of human rights in the Tigray region of Ethiopia; 13 July 2021.
⋅4∙ https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52021DC0110&qid=1627381042593
⋅5∙ https://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/un-new-york/92941/discussion-series-ensuring-protection-safety-and-security-humanitarian-workers-and-medical_en