HRC votes show Abiy Ahmed lost the respect of the world’s democracies

Today the United Nations Human Rights Council approved a resolution mostly approved by the world’s leading democracies and opposed by those with questionable human rights records. While the warring parties have been in combat there has also been a media war with conflicting versions of reality. The communication and press blockade to Northern Ethiopia has made it difficult  to know what is propaganda and what is fact at times but some ongoing trends have been undeniable. Make no mistake, the world’s leading democracies no longer see Abiy Ahmed as democratic reformer but fear he has become instead a horrendous violator of human rights and intent on genocide. 

The following are undeniable:

1. Ethiopia and Eritrea are actively involved in intentional blockade of food, medicine, fuel, communication, financial resources and other supplies
2. Ethiopia repeated attacks civilians as revenge for Tigray Defense Force actions
3. There is no true humanitarian action underway by Eritrea or Ethiopia towards Tigray or Oromo peoples

The following is quoted from UN News

Among the resolution’s key elements were calls to all parties to the conflict to halt “direct attacks against civilians…including on the basis of their ethnicity or gender”.

In addition, the draft text called for an end to attacks against communities’ crops, livestock and medicines, and “to refrain from incitement to hatred and violence, to avoid further damage to critical civilian infrastructure, and to end any measures that may exacerbate the already acute humanitarian crisis”.

This could be achieved by allowing and enabling the “full, safe, rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief”, the resolution stated.

In addition to investigating all alleged human rights violations since the conflict erupted on 3 November 2020, the new international probe’s responsibilities include collecting and preserving evidence, “to identify those responsible” and ensure accountability for perpetrators.

The investigators’ mandate also directs them to provide guidance on transitional justice to the Ethiopian Government, in the areas of accountability, reconciliation and healing, and to update the Human Rights Council at its 50th session in June 2022.