A United Nations-mandated inquiry into ongoing crimes in Ethiopia risks closure when no request to prolong it was submitted on Wednesday, according to a U.N. website.
Thousands perished in a two-year struggle between the government and Tigrayan regional troops, which finally ended in November 2022.
Both sides accused one other of crimes such as killings, rapes, and arbitrary detentions, but neither admitted to widespread violations.
According to the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia, established by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2021 in response to a resolution made by the European Union, war crimes and crimes against humanity are currently being perpetrated in Ethiopia.
However, diplomats believe that significant African resistance has stopped proponents from seeking another mandate. The term was just narrowly renewed in 2022.
Human Rights Watch’s Lucy McKernan stated, “having no resolution is scandalous in light of the experts’ report that was just published.”
McKernan is in charge of advocacy at the United Nations Human Rights Council and other UN human rights forums.
Ethiopia, which denies major violations, has actively fought the investigation and attempted to shorten its duration.
In September, it staged an event on the margins of the Human Rights Council to promote its own national justice procedures as the preferable channel of inquiry, a strategy that the United Nations commission called as “deeply flawed.”
In an investigation presented on Tuesday, the committee determined that there was a high probability that crimes would continue, citing the presence of all eight major risk indicators outlined in a United Nations framework in Ethiopia.
The current war in the Amhara area, as well as the government’s reluctance to hold people accountable for crimes committed during the Tigray conflict, were identified as reasons that might lead to future massacres.
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