Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, said on Friday that she was genuinely affected by reports of rape from Ethiopian women, which she described as “your worst nightmare.”
Speaking to reporters in New York a day after returning from Ethiopia, Mohammed said she was moved to tears after hearing about the women’s ordeals, which included gang rape and rape in front of children.
She demanded accountability for atrocities against women and described scenes of hunger in the crisis-torn country.
“You can only picture what has happened to the ladies in Ethiopia in your wildest dreams,” she remarked of the “very upsetting” visit. “It will be a lifelong healing process for many, many Ethiopian women and children.”
In November 2020, war broke out in Ethiopia’s Tigray, pitting the Ethiopian government and its allies, notably Afar troops, against forces loyal to the region’s ruling Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
According to a joint inquiry published in November by the United Nations and Ethiopia, all sides engaged in the war committed acts that may amount to war crimes. The study accuses all parties of torturing and killing citizens, committing gang rapes, and making ethnically motivated arrests.
“Everyone has responsibility… they were dedicated across countries and regions,” Mohammed remarked on Friday. “Without a doubt, justice and accountability must be served.”
The government has stated that individual troops have been prosecuted, but no details have been disclosed, whereas the TPLF has stated that any soldiers found culpable will face punishment.
The violence has also been exacerbated by drought, which has resulted in starvation for hundreds of thousands of people in Tigray. “I witnessed starvation,” Mohammed stated. “There is clearly starvation and a slew of diseases.”
Post Your Comments