Subject: The current situation in Tigray
On 11 February 2021, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission report and the Ethiopian Red Cross Society published reports saying that the current situation in the Tigray region is complex.
The Ethiopian Red Cross said that more than 50 % of people in Tigray need humanitarian aid and that 80 % of the region has been cut off from humanitarian assistance.
The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission reported that internally displaced people in the region are exposed to human right abuses (108 rape cases have been reported) and highlighted the need for emergency assistance, medical supplies, health infrastructure and security.
The humanitarian activities carried out by the Government and people of Ethiopia, the UN and the World Food Programme are highly appreciated, but need to be scaled up with safe and unhindered access to all places.
1. What actions is the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR) taking to protect civilians from the aftermath of the war and to make individuals and/or groups accountable for their violations of human rights?
2. Is the VP/HR doing anything to encourage the Ethiopian authorities to approve the humanitarian missions of UN and non‑governmental organisation staff who are already in Addis Ababa?
Answer given by High Representative/Vice-President Borrell on behalf of the European Commission (23 April 2021)
The situation in Tigray is of great concern. Since its onset, the EU has consistently and on numerous occasions called for an end to violence, for full, rapid and unhindered humanitarian access to all people in all areas, as well as for independent investigations into the reported human rights violations and withdrawal of Eritrean troops (1).
The Government of Ethiopia has announced unfettered access to and unhindered mobility of humanitarian agencies based on a simple notification system. The EU has welcomed this announcement and called for its immediate and full implementation to address critical humanitarian needs. The EU also took good note of the decision of the Ethiopian authorities to bring all perpetrators to justice and to accept international technical assistance to undertake the investigations, and hopes to see its implementation on the ground.
In 2020, the EU channelled EUR 63 million in humanitarian assistance to Ethiopia, including EUR 18.8 million to address the Tigray crisis.
⋅1∙ https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/statement_21_888 ; https://www.consilium.europa.eu/fr/press/press-releases/2021/03/11/eu-ethiopia-
relations-eu-council-conclusions-stress-the-strategic-partnership-and-eu-s-deep-concerns-about-the-situation-in-the-tigray-region/