UN Rights Chief Warns of Escalating Crisis as Fighting Resumes in Ethiopia’s Tigray
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has urged all parties in Ethiopia’s Tigray region to immediately de-escalate renewed heavy fighting, warning of a severe deterioration in the war-torn north’s humanitarian and human rights situation.
Clashes intensified on 26 January between the Ethiopian National Defence Forces (ENDF) and the regional Tigray Security Forces (TSF) near the Amhara border, with both sides reportedly using drones, artillery, and other heavy weaponry. The TSF withdrew from the Tselemti area on 1 February. According to the UN human rights office (OHCHR), civilians are again caught in the crossfire, with arbitrary arrests being carried out by both sides based on perceived affiliation.
“The situation remains highly volatile and we fear it will further deteriorate, worsening the region’s already precarious human rights and humanitarian situation,” Mr. Türk stated. He called for an immediate halt to hostilities and for all alleged violations to be independently investigated, irrespective of the perpetrator.
Simultaneously, fighting continues in southern and southeastern Tigray near the Afar border between the TSF and a rival faction known as the “Tigray Peace Forces.” The High Commissioner stressed that all sides must “step back from the brink and work to resolve their differences through political means.”
This escalation follows a devastating two-year conflict from 2020 to 2022 between federal forces and Tig
