Ethiopia reiterates commitment to unfettered access to humanitarian aid to Tigray region

Addis Ababa, April 14, 2022 (FBC) – In a biweekly press briefing, Spokesperson of  Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Dina Mufti said Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Demeke Mekonnen, and the Minister of Justice, Gedion Timotheos (PhD) briefed the Diplomatic Community and Representatives of International Organizations accredited to Ethiopia last week about the current situations in the country.

The briefing by the two high-level officials covered a wide range of issues, including national, regional and multilateral matters that addressed the concerns of the international community. In this framework, the Spokesperson disclosed.

Demeke mentioned the recently declared humanitarian truce and subsequent measures taken to allow unfettered access to humanitarian aid to the Tigray region as manifestations of Ethiopia’s commitment to end the conflict peacefully.

He said humanitarian issues should not be bound by preconditions and political interests further calling on the international community to expedite support in this regard and put pressure on the TPLF to reciprocate appropriately.

Speaking more on the peace initiatives of the government, he said Ethiopia has continued to be committed to the peace efforts of the African Union Commission Chairperson High Representative, Olusegun Obasanjo.

Regarding the Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch’s joint report, he reaffirmed the government’s position to closely examine the matter further stressing the unacceptable political contents of the report which went beyond the mandates of the organizations.

On the trilateral negotiations of the GERD, the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister underscored Ethiopia’s unwavering commitment to engaging in the AU-led process.

The Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice have also expressed Ethiopia’s reservation over the decision of the UN Human Rights body to conduct another investigation into human rights violations in Tigray disregarding Ethiopia’s willingness to implement the recommendations of the joint UN-EHRC investigation.

The newly proposed investigation also undermines the institutional independence of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission besides wasting time and financial resources through duplications of efforts, they said.

Demeke also had a virtual meeting over the week with Ethiopian Mission leaders in Europe and Canada and Ethiopian community leaders in the Diaspora on current situations in the country.

He appreciated the multifaceted efforts of Ethiopians in the Diaspora for standing to protect their country’s interests, mentioning the #Nomore movement as a case in point, according to the Spokesperson.

Ethiopia has continued to face challenges, the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke said, calling upon Ethiopians in the Diaspora to ramp up efforts to protect the interests of their homeland.

Ambassador Dina underlined that the government would not compromise the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country further mentioning efforts to drive the TPLF out of occupied territories in the Afar and Amhara regions. He on the Ethiopian Diaspora to closely work with Ethiopian missions to register better results.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia has issued a statement over the week on the Joint Report of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. The Government of Ethiopia will carefully examine the content of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch’s report.

The Government of Ethiopia is committed to holding accountable all those responsible for violations of human rights and humanitarian law. Ethiopia, however, questions the validity of numerous political matters, such as passing judgments on boundary issues and overstepping their mandates.

“The Government is also concerned about the ethnic undertones of the report that seem to apportion blame disproportionally while trying to exculpate others. This fuels hatred and makes reconciliation and healing more difficult. The data relied largely on alleged testimonies from certain groups. Simply blaming one group does not serve the cause of human rights and peace.” Dina underlined.

The Government investigation team will examine this report despite such fatal weakness and unfair attack against the gallant forces of ENDF and allied forces.

More than 6, 700 Ethiopians have been repatriated from Saudi Arabia so far. Three flights a day, three days a week are set aside to repatriate citizens within six months.

It is estimated that there are about 750,000 Ethiopians living in Saudi Arabia. Of these, 450,000 are reported to have entered Saudi Arabia without proper documentation. At least 102,000 Ethiopian are currently being held in various detention centers across the country.

The Ethiopian government has set up a national executive committee, under the chairmanship of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen, to repatriate those citizens gradually.

Various discussions have been made with senior government officials of Ethiopia and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to protect the rights of Ethiopian citizens who have proper documentation to live and work in Saudi Arabia.

Ethiopians in Rome, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, and Brussels have rallied to protest H.R. 6600 and S.3199. They highlighted that the resolutions are partial and do not commensurate with the longstanding relationship between Ethiopia and the United States, Ambassador Dina added.