UN calls for investigation into possible war crimes in Tigray

 

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Thursday called for an "objective and independent investigation" in the Ethiopian region of Tigray, after having "corroborated serious violations" likely to constitute "war crimes and crimes against humanity".

In a statement issued in Geneva, Bachelet said her office "has managed to corroborate information on some incidents that occurred in November last year, indicating indiscriminate bombings in the towns of Mekele, Humera and Adigrat in the Tigray region" in the north of the country, the scene of several months of fighting.

The UN office also verified "reports of serious violations and abuses including massacres in Aksoum and Dengelat in central Tigray by Eritrean armed forces," the statement said.

"Serious violations of international law, which may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, may have been committed."

The forces on the ground include the Ethiopian National Defence Forces, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the Eritrean armed forces, the Amhara Regional Forces and affiliated militias, the same source said.

- "General denials" -

"With multiple actors in the conflict, general denials", there is "a clear need for an objective and independent assessment," said Ms. Bachelet.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights urged the Ethiopian government to allow her office and other UN investigators access to Tigray "to establish the facts and help ensure accountability, regardless of the origin of the perpetrators".

She stressed that her office continued to receive information about ongoing fighting in central Tigray.

She deplored "deeply distressing reports of sexual and gender-based violence, extrajudicial killings, widespread destruction and looting of public and private property by all parties".

"Without prompt, impartial and transparent investigations and without holding those responsible accountable, I fear that (human rights) violations will continue to be committed with impunity and the situation will remain volatile for a long time to come," she said.

Ms. Bachelet also expressed concern about the detentions this week in Tigray of journalists and translators working for local and international media.

As they were released, she highlighted worrying remarks by a member of the government that representatives of the "misleading international media" would be held responsible.

"Victims and witnesses of human rights violations and abuses must not be prevented from sharing their testimony for fear of reprisals," Ms. Bachelet said.

In late November, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed declared an end to the military operation in Tigray with the capture of Mekele, but authorities fleeing the region promised to continue the fight and fighting has been reported since.

Several massacres have also been documented, some attributed by survivors to Eritrean troops in Tigray, whose presence continues to be denied to this day by Addis Ababa and Asmara.

Ethiopian and Eritrean troops responsible for possible "war crimes" in Tigray (UN).

 

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FARMING: Adapting to survive and thrive in Ghana

In the West African country of Ghana, many people from farming backgrounds are forced to find new ways to survive, as droughts, floods and erratic weather patterns upend age-old agricultural practices.

Programmes supported by the UN are helping, especially, women to acquire new skills, and adapt to an increasingly uncertain world.

They’ve been learning how to process soy beans, shea and rice, turning them into more profitable products, such as soy milk, soy flour, and shea butter.

Women across Ghana are learning how to process their crops into food stuffs that can be sold in markets., by UNDP/PraiseNutakor

Selling these processed goods at the local market, can help them to live through lean times, for example when drought and other climate change-related events hit.

Read more here  about how across northern Ghana, thousands of women are benefiting from similar projects, financed by The Adaptation Fund, which was set up to support programmes in developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to climate change.

 

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Zimbabwe's Alleged Use of COVID as Excuse to Stifle Dissent Draws UN Concern

FILE - Police arrest a health worker during a protest against economic hardship and poor working conditions during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Harare, Zimbabwe, July 6, 2020.

HARARE, ZIMABABWE - The United Nations Human Rights Office says it is “concerned” by a new Human Rights Watch report that says Zimbabwe’s government is using the COVID-19 pandemic as a pretext to clamp down on freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly and association.   

Marta Hurtado, spokeswoman of the U.N. Human Rights Office, said the agency is encouraging President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government to engage with civil society and other stakeholders to find sustainable solutions to grievances, while ensuring that people’s rights and freedoms are protected in accordance with Zimbabwe’s human rights obligations. 

“We are indeed concerned at allegations that suggest that the Zimbabwean authorities may be using the COVID-19 pandemic as a pretext to clamp down on freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly and association," Hurtado said. "Merely calling for a peaceful protest or participating in a peaceful protest are an exercise of recognized human rights. An example of intimidation is the repeated arbitrary arrest and detention of three members of the main opposition party for taking part in a protest.”

That is an apparent reference to three female opposition activists who were arrested in May for protesting the Zimbabwe government’s failure to provide payouts during a lockdown to contain the coronavirus. They now face two more charges - all related to breaking lockdown regulations. 

On Thursday, HRW released a report chronicling how 23 African governments are using the COVID-19 pandemic to clamp down on freedom of the media and of assembly.  

On Friday, Cecillia Chimbiri - one of the three female opposition activists mentioned in the HRW report - welcomed the U.N. Human Rights Office’s statement on Zimbabwe. She maintains the trio’s innocence and wants Zimbabwe government look after its citizens during lockdowns.    

“The demo was simply to say: people are hungry, what are you doing as the government of Zimbabwe, people are unemployed, Zimbabweans live hand to mouth? We are law-abiding citizens," she told media. " Speaking against the government doesn’t make us unpatriotic. We love our country that’s why we are speaking against any injustices and any inequalities that are existing. We did not commit any crime. We are not criminals. They are trying to tarnish our images, this is what this government is doing, to clampdown voices, to make sure they continue doing that (abuses).”

On Wednesday, Elasto Mugwadi, the head of the government-affiliated Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission, confirmed to media that his organization had received complaints of abuses raised in the HRW report. He said the complaints included “robust approach in enforcement by the police” and “generally excessive enforcement.” 

Mugwadi said the commission was investigating the complaints of abuses during the lockdown by the Zimbabwe government to contain coronavirus. 

“While recognizing the government’s efforts to contain the pandemic, it is important to remind the authorities that any restrictions should be necessary, proportionate and time-limited, and enforced humanely without resorting to unnecessary or excessive force," Hurtado said. 

The HRW report, Covid-19 Triggers Wave of Free Speech Abuse, said the rights group was concerned about introduction of Zimbabwe’s Public Health Order Act in March, which threatened up to 20 years in prison for fake news on public health matters. 

 

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Un ups food aid to Ethiopia’s Tigray over starvation fears

The announcement comes as fears grow of a humanitarian catastrophe in Tigray, three months after fighting erupted between forces loyal to the regional ruling party and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government.

 

Ethiopian refugees, who fled the Tigray conflict, gather to receive aid at the Tenedba camp in Mafaza, eastern Sudan on 8 January 2021, upon their arrival at the camp from the reception center. Picture: Ashraf Shazly/AFP

ADDIS ABABA – The head of the World Food Programme said Saturday he had reached a deal with Ethiopia to expand access for aid workers and "scale up" operations in the country's conflict-hit northern Tigray region.

David Beasley's announcement on Twitter comes as fears grow of a humanitarian catastrophe in Tigray, three months after fighting erupted between forces loyal to the regional ruling party and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government.

Important breakthroughs in #Ethiopia today! @WFP and the Government of Ethiopia have agreed on concrete steps to expand access for humanitarians across #Tigray, and WFP will scale up its operations. Nearly 3 million people need our help NOW and we have no time to waste. pic.twitter.com/u3y919K3bK

— David Beasley (@WFPChief) February 6, 2021

 

The government and WFP "have agreed on concrete steps to expand access for humanitarians across #Tigray, and WFP will scale up its operations," Beasley said on Twitter following a visit to the Tigray capital Mekele.

A WFP statement said Ethiopian officials had agreed to speed up reviews of aid workers' requests to move within the region.

It also said WFP had agreed to government requests to provide emergency food aid to one million people in Tigray and help with transportation to hard-to-reach rural areas.

Ethiopian peace minister Muferihat Kamil said in a separate statement the government was "moving with urgency to approve requests for international staff movements into and within Tigray."

Top UN officials and international NGOs have repeatedly complained about access restrictions to Tigray, where fighting persists despite Abiy's declaration of victory in late November after federal forces entered the regional capital.

The government has downplayed fears of widespread starvation while touting its own efforts to meet the needs of a population of around six million.

It says it has provided emergency food aid to 1.8 million people.

Tigray remains largely cut off to media, making it difficult to assess the situation on the ground.

During a visit to Ethiopia last week, UN refugees chief Filippo Grandi stressed the need for a more efficient system of facilitating access for aid workers and distributing aid.

"We heard from everywhere, including from the local authorities, that more is needed" beyond what the government is providing, Grandi said.

"The situation as I said is very grave, is very urgent. Without further action it will get worse."

In his Twitter post on Saturday, Beasley said "nearly 3 million people need our help NOW and we have no time to waste."

 

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Girl child soldier shunned at home in Uganda

A young mother has been talking about how she was shunned by her community in Uganda when she returned home after being abducted and forced to fight for rebels as a child soldier. 

ICC-CPI/Pete Muller: Eunice was abducted as a child and forced to fight with rebels in Uganda.

Eunice’s parents were killed in the years long conflict in the north of the East African country, leaving her unable to protect herself from abduction and forced marriage. Now her community is unwilling to accept her back, branding her a "rebel."

She is one of many women around the world who have suffered due to conflict and are keen for their stories to be heard and understood.

She was interviewed as part of an initiative focusing on international justice launched by the UN-backed International Criminal Court (ICC).

 

SOURCE: UN News

 

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UN bars officials from using Whatsapp over security concerns

United Nations officials do not use WhatsApp to communicate because “it’s not supported as a secure mechanism,” a UN spokesman said Thursday after UN experts accused Saudi Arabia of using the online communications platform to hack the phone of Amazon chief executive and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos.

The independent UN experts said Wednesday they had information pointing to the “possible involvement” of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman in the alleged 2018 cyberattack on the billionaire Amazon.com Inc. chief.

They called for an immediate investigation by US and other authorities, based on a forensic report by Washington-based FTI Consulting. The report alleges that Bezos’ iPhone was hijacked by a malicious video file sent from a WhatsApp account used by the crown prince.

When asked if UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had communicated with the Saudi crown prince or any other world leaders using WhatsApp, UN spokesman Farhan Haq said Thursday, “The senior officials at the UN have been instructed not to use WhatsApp, it’s not supported as a secure mechanism.”

“So no, I do not believe the secretary-general uses it,” Haq said. He later added that the directive not to use WhatsApp was given to UN officials in June last year.

When asked about the move by the United Nations, WhatsApp said it provides industry-leading security for more than 1.5 billion users.

“Every private message is protected by end-to-end encryption to help prevent WhatsApp or others from viewing chats. The encryption technology that we developed with Signal is highly regarded by security experts and remains the best available for people around the world,” said WhatsApp director of communications Carl Woog.

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REPP-backed solar project of 7.5 MW ready for construction in Burundi

The company inaugurated sub-Saharan Africa’s first utility-scale solar field in Rwanda in 2014. It is active in renewable-energy projects in 10 African countries.

By EYTAN HALON

Burundian Minister of Energy and Mining, Côme Manirakiza, speaks at the solar field groundbreaking event (photo credit: Courtesy)

Renewable-energy developer Gigawatt Global will commence construction work on the first private grid-connected solar field in Burundi, the company announced on Thursday, boosting the energy-poor nation’s power supply.

The 7.5-MW project will be Burundi’s first permanent power station in three decades and will meet the power needs of approximately 87,000 people and businesses, accounting for 15% of the country’s total energy-generation capacity.

Construction will begin after notice to proceed was granted to the solar field located in Mubuga, 10 km. from Gitega, the capital.

Gigawatt Global, an American-backed Dutch company headed by American-Israeli CEO Yosef Abramowitz, worked with a long list of public and private partners worldwide to advance the project. It is the largest private investment in Burundi’s energy sector in 30 years.

The company inaugurated sub-Saharan Africa’s first utility-scale solar field in Rwanda in 2014. It is active in renewable-energy projects in 10 African countries.

“It takes a global village to bring utility-scale green energy to where it is needed most in Africa,” said Abramowitz, named by CNN as one of the world’s six leading “Green Pioneers” in 2012.

“Following the lackluster United Nations climate conference, we are demonstrating to the world that it is possible to create and scale a business model to achieve, especially in frontier markets, many of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals [SDGs],” he said. “Greta Thunberg is rallying the world to stop burning fossil fuels; we are actively transitioning the energy economies of African countries to wind and solar.”

Most of the Burundian population lives in poverty, with food insecurity almost twice as high as the sub-Saharan average, according to the World Bank. Less than 5% of the population has access to electricity, and access to water and sanitation remains low.

Potential for solar-energy production is great in Burundi, according to the UN Environment Program, especially in rural areas not connected to the grid.

“We are proud to kick off the UN’s Decade of Action toward fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals with this landmark solar investment,” Abramowitz said. “We have operations in 10 African countries and look forward to expanding our partnerships so that we can bring power to the people of Africa and actively fight the climate crisis.”

Partners in the Burundi project include Inspired Evolution, UK-based Renewable Energy Performance Platform (REPP), the US government’s Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) and Power Africa. The project is also supported by the Energy and Environment Partnership (EEP), Africa-EU Renewable Energy Cooperation Program (RECP) and the Belgian Investment Company for Developing Countries (BIO).

“Bringing clean energy to one of the world’s least-developed countries fulfills Gigawatt Global’s mission to be a premier impact platform of choice for renewables in Africa,” said Michael Fichtenberg, managing director of Gigawatt Global Burundi SA and vice president of finance and business development of Gigawatt Global Cooperation.

“We accomplished this pioneering project together with supporters from across the entire development spectrum, including innovative financial products being deployed for the first time with this project,” he said, citing the support of the African Trade Insurance Agency’s innovative Regional Liquidity Support Facility. “We believe this demonstrates how solar power can be implemented in other developing markets, while decreasing dependency on costly and polluting diesel generators.”

The project will provide 300 temporary jobs during the solar-field construction phase and up to 50 permanent jobs during the facility’s 25-year operational phase, Gigawatt Global said.

“We hope this historic solar project will further warm our bilateral relations and shine a light in Africa on practical solutions to both economic development and the climate crisis,” said Raphael Morav, Israel’s ambassador to Ethiopia, Burundi and Rwanda.

Construction work on the project in Burundi initiates a 10-country pipeline of solar and wind projects across Africa, totaling 350 MW in energy-generation capacity, Gigawatt Global said. The company is pursuing a Series A institutional investment round to fund its expansion.

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Joint UN-Congolese strategy needed to address insecurity following deadly attacks

Authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the UN peacekeeping operation in the country, MONUSCO,  are  being urged to develop a comprehensive joint strategy to address insecurity in Beni territory, located in the east. 

UN Photo/Martine Perret. Ebola survivors and other parishioners gather at a church in Beni, in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. (August 2019)

The recommendation follows an independent assessment into deadly attacks allegedly carried out by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) armed group during the latter part of last year, which sparked violent protests against the Government and the UN. 

The assessment team—which included political, military and logistics specialists—sought to establish the circumstances surrounding the attacks in Beni, located in North Kivu province, as well as  assaults in Mambasa territory in neighbouring Ituri province targeting the national and international response to the deadly Ebola virus outbreak . 

Team members were evaluating the MONUSCO Force’s ability to deliver on mandated tasks that include civilian protection, neutralizing armed groups, and providing a secure environment for those tacking the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the region.  

They found that presumed ADF combatants killed more than 260 people, mostly women and children, during November and December 2019 alone. Most of the attacks occurred at night. 

“The high number of civilian casualties was one of the main triggers of violent demonstrations against MONUSCO in North Kivu, including the destruction and looting of a MONUSCO Office in Beni on 25 November,” said the team. 

“The attacks against civilians occurred against the backdrop of a major offensive that the Congolese Army launched against the ADF on 30 October 2019.  Since 2014, the ADF have systematically retaliated against civilians to thwart the Congolese army’s operations against them.” 

In addition to the joint strategy, the assessment team recommended that the UN and countries that provide troops to the mission coordinate action towards supporting the MONUSCO Force Intervention Brigade in better addressing the “unconventional threat” posed by the ADF, particularly in a challenging environment. 

Furthermore, strengthened cooperation between MONUSCO and the Congolese Army and Police is critical to sustain the gains made by the Congolese forces during this latest offensive against the ADF. 

The UN Department of Peace Operations is developing an Action Plan to implement the key recommendations of the assessment.    

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UN envoy: 'Devastating surge' of attacks in Sahel and West Africa

Attacks increased five-fold in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger since 2016 with more than 4,000 deaths reported in 2019.

 

In Burkina Faso, deaths rose even more dramatically from about 80 in 2016 to more than 1,800 in 2019, he said. [File: Sunday Alamba/AP Photo]

The United Nations envoy for West Africa and the Sahel says the region has experienced "a devastating surge in terrorist attacks against civilian and military targets" in recent months.

Mohamed Ibn Chambas told the UN Security Council on Wednesday that the "unprecedented terrorist violence" had shaken public confidence in the region.

He said attacks have increased five-fold in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger since 2016 with more than 4,000 deaths reported in 2019 compared with an estimated 770 deaths three years before.

In Burkina Faso, deaths rose even more dramatically from about 80 in 2016 to more than 1,800 in 2019, he said.

"Most significantly, the geographic focus of terrorist attacks has shifted eastwards from Mali to Burkina Faso and is increasingly threatening West African coastal states," Chambas said.

The UN envoy said attacks are often "deliberate efforts by violent extremists to capture weapons and trafficking routes" and engage in illicit activities including illegal mining that sustain their operations.

Among the latest attacks was a rocket attack on Thursday on a base in northern Mali's restive Kidal region that wounded 20 people, including 18 UN peacekeepers, according to the UN spokesman in Mali.

Residents and a military source told the Reuters news agency that about 20 soldiers were killed and nearly 1,000 people made homeless on Tuesday evening in an attack on a town in Borno state in northeastern Nigeria.

Another one was Monday's roadside bombing in Mali's central region of Alatona, near the border with Mauritania, that left at least five soldiers dead. More than 140 Malian soldiers have been killed in armed attacks since September.

On Saturday, a roadside bomb attack in Burkina Faso also killed 14 people, including seven children and four women.

On Christmas Eve,  35 civilians, mostly female, were killed following an attack on a military outpost in Burkina Faso's northern Soum Province.

Chambas said governments, local "actors," regional organisations and the international community are mobilising to respond to the violence across West Africa and the Sahel.

Chambas urged leaders in the region to follow through on pledges to tackle "terrorism", saying now "is the time for action."

In November ISIL fighters attacked a hotel in Mali's capital and largest city, Bamako [File: Jerome Delay/AP]

In a report to the Security Council in late July, UN experts said "the most striking international developments" during the first six months of 2019 included "the growing ambition and reach of terrorist groups in the Sahel and West Africa" where fighters from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) and al-Qaeda armed groups were collaborating to undermine fragile countries.

Chambas said the attacks were also often intertwined with organised crime and violence among competing groups.

With close to 70 percent of West Africa's population dependent on agriculture and livestock, he said, clashes between farmers and herders "remain some of the most violent local conflicts in the region."

In the months ahead, he said, six West African countries will choose leaders in democratic elections.

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES

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UN joins search for missing DR Congo cargo plane

 

UN forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo have sent three aircraft to help search for a DRC government cargo plane with eight people on board missing since Thursday.

The plane, which had been supplying equipment for a visit to Goma by President Felix Tshisekedi, disappeared after taking off in bad weather from the eastern city.

The UN peacekeeping mission Monusco sent two planes and a helicopter on Saturday to try to locate the Antonov 72 plane which had a crew that included two Russians, according to Moscow's embassy in Kinshasa.

Realated 

Cargo plane crashes in Congo with presidential staff on board

If the plane is found, Monusco will do everything it can to get help to the crew, spokesperson Florence Marshal told AFP.

"But the weather is not making the task any easier," she added.

Congolese aircraft are already searching for the missing plane, which according to the DRC's Civil Aviation Authority (known as AAC) was lost 59 minutes after takeoff.

Tshisekedi returned to Kinshasa late Thursday after his visit to Goma, the second to the strife-torn Beni region since taking office in January from Joseph Kabila, who ruled the DRC for 17 years.

Several hundred Tshisekedi supporters took part in an anti-Kabila demonstration on Friday, accusing followers of the former president of being behind the crash.

But aviation accidents involving Antonovs are fairly common in DR Congo, sometimes involving a large loss of life.

Tshisekedi was sworn in as president in January and allied himself with Kabila, whose supporters control parliament and the regional assemblies.

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