BY ADDISALEM MULAT
The recent report released by the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia (ICHREE) is turning out to be the talk of all and sundry in view of the fact that it is one-sided and not based on concrete facts.
The other thing is that the report gives the cold shoulder to the undeniable truth and only appeared to be a deceitful act to mystify the international community with fictitious stories. Regardless of the fact that the government has been going to the ends of the earth at all hours of the day and night to make peace happen, the report ignores the positive moves unfolding left, right, and center of the country.
Despondently, picking sides with the terrorist TPLF group the Commission’s report attaches little importance to atrocities committed in Amhara and Afar states and parrots the evil interest of the terrorist TPLF group that has been turning many a time and oft the lives of non-combatants in the northern part of the country. It would be no exaggeration to say as the report is discriminatory, illogical, and the product of politically motivated, Ethiopians at home and abroad have continued expressing disappointment in several ways.
It is worth reminding that since the start of the criminal enterprise’s provoked war in the northern part of the country, the incumbent has been moving heaven and earth to bury the hatchet in the face of the criminal organization’s repeated provocations. However, the report fails to pat the back of the government for its unflinching stance to allow humanitarian aid to Tigray state and find peaceful resolution by declaring strings of truces.
Intending to win the hearts and minds of the wider international community and put unwarranted pressure on Ethiopia, the Commission report focuses on besmirching the positive images of the democratically elected government and twisting its arm.
Irrespective of the fact that the criminal TPLF enterprise has been pulling out all the stops to move the northern part of the country into uncharted waters giving the cold shoulder to the peace talks proposed by the government, the report covers up the evil deeds of the ragtag group that has been working around the clock to turn the country upside down.
It should be borne in mind that the criminal gang has played a part in summary killings, gang rape, ransacking, and other criminal deeds. Before that, the group in the early morning of 4 November 2020 had attacked the Northern Command of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces and brought about unimaginable human suffering and material damage. But concerning the reality on the ground, the wider international community did not utter a word about the criminal deeds of the bandit group.
The report omitted the hard fact that the rogue element has been persistently playing part in backing and training its henchmen to bring about clashes among the people of Ethiopians. It also denied the group’ acts of war crimes including enlisting child soldiers.
Intending to put in place its criminal deeds going on behind closed curtains, the disgruntled group has been recruiting underage children as well as elderly people residing under the Tigray State skies and increasing their sufferings. Disappointedly, the report fails to condemn the gospel truth taking place in the Tigray state.
Though the Commission knows the fact that the group does not lean over backwards to get to the bottom of the problem in an atmosphere of calm except struggling day and night to raise the stakes and put the blame at the government’s door, the former has not made an effort to lay bare the wicked deeds of the group. In a similar vein, albeit pertinent bodies know the aforementioned reality on the ground, they failed to utter a single word in their report on the subject of the nefarious deeds of the criminal organization that has been working persistently to pursue the hidden objectives of the international community.
Instead of sparing no effort to acquaint the international community with the honest truth, the commission’s report in black and white denies the evil deeds of the criminal organization.
To the surprise of everyone as the report aims at maintaining the existence of the criminal enterprise and hiding its criminal acts, it has not dared to expose the war crimes committed by the tyrant clique.
Similarly, the commission lays the blame on the door of Ethiopia and engaging in a smear campaign against the government. What’s more, the report deviates from the truth and fails to acquaint the wider international community with the naked truth simply taking sides with the terrorist TPLF group that hates to death living in peace and harmony.
As this kind of fake and illegal report can mystify the wider international community at the earliest possible juncture, this kind of evil deed should be nipped in the bud by the concerted efforts of every Tom, Dick, and Harry.
The recent report of the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia (ICHREE) is unacceptable as it covers only a few alleged cases and lacks impartiality, the Inter-Ministerial Task Force said.
Briefing journalists, the Task Force which is entrusted with implementing the recommendation of the Joint Investigation Team labeled the commission’s report as an agenda-driven report said that the report breaches the United Nations’ guidelines: professional independence, impartiality, standard of proof, and others.
Inter-Ministerial Task Force Secretariat Head Tadesse Kassa (PhD) indicated that many questions can be raised on the subject of the data collection methodology of the Commission.
He added that in light of the alleged human rights violations committed in Tigray, Amhara and Afar states, the so-called report covers only a few cases and issues.
According to him, the report covers only three events – the alleged heavy weaponry attack on Mekelle and drone strike at Dedebit by the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF), as well as the massacres of Chena and Kobo perpetrated by the terrorist TPLF group – and two issues – sexual violence and delivery of humanitarian aid.
The commission also used undisclosed sources that make the report incredible, Tadesse said adding, that it is inappropriate to hold the government and its entities accountable based on incredible sources. By evaluating the Commission’s report by many criteria, it is fair to say that the main objective of the report is enforcing the agenda of some interest groups in the name of human rights.
The International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia (ICHREE) report issued recently is weak because there were numerous empirical studies that have been done on widespread TPLF atrocities, International Security Professor Ann Fitz-Gerald said.
In an exclusive interview with ENA, she stated that the people in Afar and Amhara regions were deeply affected, and the evidence was widespread all over the places.
The professor said “This emerged as very obvious weakness of the report, especially there were numerous empirical studies that have been done on widespread TPLF large atrocities. The implementation of rule of law must be based on evidence and enabling space for other evidence must be collected, forensic undertaken, et cetera; and it has not just happened yet.”
Fitz-Gerald explained that when she had traveled across Afar and Amhara regions, she saw people in areas like northern and South West Wollo, and Northern Afar deeply affected.
“The evidence was widespread all over the places. Listening to how the fighting has impacted families and it is very sad to not get into Tigray as well and speak to families actually in the region as well as families who have fled and come over the border,” the professor added.
She believes that the research had some issues concerning methodology and investigation to human rights atrocities and violations.
“Comprehensive studies are necessary that look at the affected conflict space; and there has been an error I believe on the part of the international civil society to refer to this conflict as the Tigray conflict when most of the fighting and most of the battle space has been located in Amhara and Afar (regions). Fellow Tigrayans are deeply affected by this conflict, there is no doubt about that. But, the actual war fighting has been taking place in Amhara and Afar.”
According to her, it is very questionable based on that evidence as to why this issue is to be referred to as Tigray conflict. “I think there is a swell of TPLF propaganda; and the TPLF affiliates want to project that message so that the attention will come to Tigray. But, this is a conflict in northern Ethiopia and I think some international policy leaders have changed the narrative to reflect that.”
The International Security Professor noted also that this human right commission didn’t have a large mandate athed huge level of support that some similar studies had.
“When we don’t have a huge amount of support on large mandate, this becomes reflected in the resources made available for such studies to be carried out,” she said.
The Ethiopian herald September 27/2022
