Biden calls for a ceasefire, and Tigray | n ending “large-scale abuses” New conflicts

U.S. President Joe Biden has called for an end to the ceasefire and “major human rights violations” in the Ethiopian war in the Tigray region just days after the U.S. imposed it. visa restrictions They have been accused of fueling the ongoing conflict over Ethiopian and Eritrean officials.

In one statement on Wednesday, Biden said he was “very concerned” about the escalation of violence in Tigray and the “hardening of regional and ethnic divisions” in several parts of the country.

“Major human rights violations are taking place in Tigray, including widespread sexual violence, are unacceptable and must be ended, ”he said.

Biden called on the Eritrean and Amharic forces to withdraw from Tigray and allow the authorities to “provide immediate and unhindered humanitarian access to the region.” widespread hunger“.

“The belligerents in the Tigray region should declare and maintain a ceasefire, and the forces in Eritrea and Amhara should withdraw.”

Thousands have been killed and hundreds forced to flee their homes in the Tigray region since November, when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sent troops to arrest and disarm the leaders of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) regional government party. Five million people also need help.

Biden’s comments came after the U.S. State Department announced on Monday that it was imposing economic and security restrictions on Ethiopia, as well as visa restrictions for current or former Ethiopian and Eritrean government officials and members of the country’s security forces.

Visa restrictions were also applied to other people, including Amhara region and irregular forces, and members of the TPLF, who are believed to be “responsible or complicit in damaging the solution to the Tigray crisis”. he said.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blink says measures are under pressure to resolve the conflict, but the Ethiopian government accused Involvement of road administrations in internal affairs.

On Monday, the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry said that if U.S. restrictions continue, Addis Ababa will “be forced to re-evaluate relations with the United States, which could have implications beyond our bilateral relationship.”

“An attempt by the US administration to get involved [Ethiopia’s] internal affairs, in addition to being inappropriate, are also completely unacceptable, ”the statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Ethiopian government is stepping up international pressure to report alleged human rights abuses in Tigray, including rape and other forms of sexual violence, extrajudicial killings, and forced displacement. Blinken he said in March “acts of ethnic cleansing” took place in the region.

Ethiopia has denied the great atrocities and he said on May 21, he convicted four soldiers of killing or raping civilians, and tried another 53 for the same crimes, even though court documents were not yet public.

Relocated ‘don’t feel safe’

Earlier in the day, the United Nations said it was “very concerned” that soldiers were gathering hundreds of displaced civilians from Tigray camps, reports said.

According to Amnesty International and witnesses, soldiers arrested at least 200 civilians from multiple informal camps in Shire, beaten them and pulled out their phones before being forced into trucks.

“We understand how traumatic and dire the situation is, not only for the relatives of the missing youth, but also for the entire Shire (displacement) community,” Elisabeth Haslund, a spokeswoman for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), told Elisabeth Haslund AFP.

“What we’ve seen is that thousands of (displaced) people have fled because they don’t feel safe and they think the spaces are no longer safe.”

He is also a senior UN official warn that urgent action had to be taken to prevent the widespread famine in Tigray.

In December, the Ethiopian government ordered “unlimited humanitarian access,” but large parts of the region, especially rural areas, are still largely cut off by active hostilities, according to information released by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs earlier this month. (OCHA).

Parts of central, southern and southeastern Tigray have been blocked by conflict parties since early March, OCHA said, adding that food insecurity in the region remains “large and severe.”