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	Urgent Action needed on Peace Agreement for South Sudan by UN News, OHCHR, Small Arms survey, agencies   June 2025   Escalating conflict in South Sudan forces many thousands to flee just as aid dwindles. (UNHCR)   Over 165,000 people have fled increasing tensions and conflict in South Sudan in the past three months, seeking safety both within the country and across borders and deepening an already dire humanitarian situation across the region, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, warned on Tuesday.   Since late February, political instability and rising hostilities between armed groups have led to fresh clashes, particularly in Upper Nile state, but also other hot spots, devastating lives and damaging essential services, forcing many people already grappling with displacement, disease and food insecurity to move yet again.   Some 100,000 people seeking safety in the neighboring countries of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Sudan and Uganda cited insecurity, inter-communal violence, and deteriorating humanitarian conditions as the main reasons for flight.“South Sudan cannot afford yet another crisis. The world’s youngest country has received more than 1 million people who fled the ongoing war in Sudan, while millions of its citizens continue to recover from years of conflict and crisis at home,” said Mamadou Dian Balde, UNHCR’s Regional Director for the East, Horn of Africa and Great Lakes region.   As a result of fighting and movement restrictions in Upper Nile state and other areas, humanitarian access to an estimated 65,000 newly internally displaced people in affected communities remains significantly constrained. Desperately needed aid, including medicine and health care to tackle an increase in cholera cases, has ground to a halt. Looming rains are likely to exacerbate the situation, with flooding making transport problematic and expensive.   As they continue to welcome new arrivals, neighbouring countries are struggling to cope as resources such as food, water, sanitation, shelter and health care run dry.   Around 41,000 people have crossed into Sudan’s White Nile, Blue Nile, Kordofan and Darfur states. This includes over 26,000 into White Nile state alone, which already hosts some 410,000 South Sudanese refugees, including those displaced for a second time due to the ongoing war in their host country.   “This emergency could not have come at a worse time. Many of the refugees are seeking safety in countries which have challenges of their own or are already dealing with emergencies amidst ongoing brutal funding cuts, straining our ability to provide even basic life-saving assistance,” Balde added. “We reiterate calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities and urge all parties to spare civilians more suffering and find a peaceful solution.”   South Sudan remains one of the largest displacement crises in the region with more than 2.3 million South Sudanese living as refugees in the DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Sudan.   http://www.unhcr.org/news/press-releases/escalating-conflict-south-sudan-forces-many-thousands-flee-just-aid-dwindles http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipc-country-analysis/details-map/en/c/1158829/   Mar. 2025   South Sudan’s political leaders must address the impunity and corruption that fuels gross human rights violations, or risk jeopardising South Sudan’s political transition, the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan concluded in its latest report.   Today, the Commission presented the 24-page report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, accompanied by a 10-page summary of key findings.   “It is unconscionable that so many years after its independence, political leaders continue their violent contestations across the country, and are abjectly failing the people of South Sudan,” said Yasmin Sooka, Chair of the Commission. “Our investigations in 2024 identified the same patterns of gross violations in the same places, often implicating the same public and military offices.   Sexual violence persists both in and outside conflicts, even as senior officials continue to endorse extrajudicial killings, and the forced recruitment and abduction of boys and girls into combat or sexual slavery continue unchecked.”   Drawing primarily from the Commission’s independent investigations in South Sudan throughout 2024, alongside engagements with authorities, open-source and forensic information, the report reveals how political and military elites continue to fuel violence and instability.   The report describes the situation in Tambura, where, in 2024, armed forces and militias inflicted extreme violence against civilians along ethnic lines, deepening the unhealed traumas and divisions stemming from the 2021 conflict. Local and national political elites are implicated in pursuing violent, divisive politics; many have retained public and military offices despite past violations and have not faced accountability for their crimes.   “Our investigations revealed that conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) remains systematic, brutal and widespread, with survivors reporting a lack of access to critical reproductive and psychological healthcare. The testimonies of children forced into combat or held as sexual slaves underscore a systemic failure to protect South Sudan’s future generation. These acts constitute grave violations of international law, yet the perpetrators continue to operate with impunity”, Sooka emphasized.   “The repetition of these human rights violations is deeply connected to pervasive impunity, the lack of accountability in governance, and the failures to properly direct the country’s national wealth toward establishing credible institutions and systems,” said Commissioner Barney Afako.   “This is why in many of our recommendations, in addition to a focus on human rights law, we return to the institution-building commitments in the Revitalized Peace Agreement.”   In September 2024, parties to the Revitalized Agreement agreed to a further two-year extension of its transitional political arrangements, commencing this week.   “This extension must not be squandered or become just another excuse for avoiding political transition. Instead, it must be used to implement the core outstanding elements of the Revitalized Agreement, including the commitment to adopt a permanent constitution, which offers a blueprint for sustainable peace and stability,” Afako added..   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/02/un-commissions-inquiry-finds-south-sudans-leaders-fuelling-violence http://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/co-h-south-sudan/index http://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/2025/03/south-sudan-un-official-calls-on-all-parties-to-protect-children-as-dire-situation-in-country-increases-risks-of-grave-violations/ http://www.unocha.org/publications/report/south-sudan/un-deplores-air-strike-hospital-south-sudan http://www.msf.org/msf-condemns-bombing-our-hospital-south-sudan http://www.unocha.org/publications/report/south-sudan/united-nations-sounds-alarm-civilians-south-sudan http://www.wfp.org/news/lifesaving-humanitarian-supply-route-cut-south-sudan-leaving-malnourished-children-risk   Nov. 2024   Hunger and cholera crises escalate in South Sudan, as needs surge. (UN News)   The UN World Food Programme (WFP), World Health Organization (WHO) and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have raised the alarm over worsening hunger, malnutrition, and disease outbreaks in the world’s youngest nation.   WFP warned that the food situation in South Sudan has reached critical levels, with more than half of the population already facing “crisis-level” hunger – classified as at least IPC3 on the five point global food insecurity scale.   Exacerbating the situation is that the UN food agency has no funds to preposition supplies for next year, as it also faces challenges accessing communities in need due to seasonal road closures and prohibitive costs associated with airlifting aid.   “WFP currently has no food supplies in South Sudan to preposition for next year’s humanitarian response,” said Shaun Hughes, WFP acting Country Director for South Sudan. He added that the country’s limited road networks are impassable for much of the year, particularly in regions with the highest levels of food insecurity.   “Airdrops are always last resort for WFP. Every dollar spent on planes is a dollar not spent on food for hungry people. But there is a simple solution: get food to communities by road before they are cut off by heavy rain and flooding.”   Complicating factors   The country’s hunger crisis is compounded by several factors, including high food prices, economic instability, ongoing conflict, and an influx of refugees from neighbouring Sudan, where conflict between Government troops and a powerful rival militia is also escalating.   Severe floods have not only destroyed crops but also displaced entire communities, leaving them dependent on humanitarian assistance to survive.   WFP’s current resources have only managed to reach 38 per cent of those in need during 2024’s lean season, with most recipients receiving half-rations. Children under five are especially vulnerable in South Sudan’s growing crisis, facing high levels of malnutrition and limited access to basic services.   UNICEF recently screened 1,800 under-fives for malnutrition at entry points in Greater Bahr el Ghazal, finding 485 malnourished, including 150 severely malnourished.   http://www.unicef.org/southsudan/press-releases/hunger-crisis-deepens-south-sudan-returnees-fleeing-war-and-children-hit-hardest http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/countries-in-focus-archive/issue-115/en/ http://news.un.org/en/story/2024/11/1156416 http://reliefweb.int/report/south-sudan/wfp-calls-cash-frontload-south-sudan-operations-amid-warnings-rising-hunger http://unmiss.unmissions.org/remarks-mr-nicholas-haysom-special-representative-secretary-general-and-head-unmiss-security-council   Mar. 2024   UN report highlights risk of more violence and gross human rights violations if South Sudan’s conflict drivers remain unaddressed.   Unchecked mass violence and entrenched repression in South Sudan threaten the prospects of durable peace and human rights protections; this must urgently be addressed to live up to hopes of the people and commitments of the peace agreement, the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan said in its latest report.   Members of the Commission presented their report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.   "Our investigations again found an absolutely unacceptable situation in South Sudan, whereby families and communities are devastated by human rights violations and abuses by armed forces, militias and State institutions acting with impunity. Further, the media and civil society groups operate under intolerable conditions which stifle democratic space for the population at large," said Yasmin Sooka, Chair of the Commission.   "The drivers of violence and repression are well known, and while commitments have been made to address them, we continue to see a lack of political will to implement the measures necessary to improve millions of lives," Sooka said. "South Sudan's immediate and long-term future hinges on political leaders finally making good on their commitments to bring peace, and reverse cyclical human rights violations."   The report draws on investigations undertaken in South Sudan and the neighbouring region throughout 2023, involving hundreds of witness interviews and meetings, expert opensource and forensic analysis, and dozens of engagements with State authorities.   The findings detail the persistence of armed conflict whereby State actors have either instigated or failed to prevent or punish violence, which frequently involves killings, sexual and gender-based crimes, and the displacement of civilian populations.   The Commission also identifies the use of children in armed forces, the State's systemic curtailment of media and civil society actors both in and outside of the country, and the diversion of available State revenues from rule of law, health, and education institutions.   Measures to address conflict drivers and human rights violations are laid out in the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement, which is scheduled to conclude following the country's first elections which are planned for December.   "The transformative promises of the Revitalized Agreement remain unfulfilled, jeopardizing prospects for peace and human rights protections," said Commissioner Barney Afako.   "The process of merging forces is not yet completed, the drafting of a permanent constitution has not started, and none of the three transitional justice institutions are established," said Afako. "Time is running out for South Sudan's leaders to implement key commitments, which are the building blocks for peace, for holding the country together, and advancing human rights beyond the elections."   The report finds that patterns of violations remain unchanged, ever increasing because the root causes remain unaddressed. Abductions of women and children in Jonglei State and the Greater Pibor Administrative Area appear to be worsening in scale and severity, frequently involving horrific sexual violence and the separation of parents from children. The Commissioners visited these regions last month, spoke with survivors, and delved deeper into the harrowing issues of abductions, forced displacements, sexual slavery, and ransoms.   In 2023, authorities paid ransoms to captors in exchange for the release of abductees, which risks incentivising the recurrence of crimes. Many women and children are still missing; other abductees are held hostage as authorities fail to effectively intervene. The perpetrators of abductions previously documented by the Commission had not been punished.   "The persistent failure to build a justice system implicates the State in these violations," said Commissioner Carlos Castresana Fernández. "There is no protective institution between the people and criminals, and it is no coincidence that areas most affected by abductions and other gross violations have few courts and judges, if any. Developing a functioning judiciary is an inter-generational project that must urgently start in earnest."   The report is accompanied by a detailed paper published by the Commission on 5 October 2023, examining in detail the persistence of attacks against journalists and human rights defenders, and pervasive regimes of media censorship and arbitrary restrictions on civic activities, which systemically curtail the democratic and civic space.   In the latest report, recommendations to the Government of South Sudan focus on addressing structural drivers of violence. This requires urgently implementing core aspects of the Revitalized Agreement, including establishing transitional justice institutions, as well as by identifying required actions to open democratic space, and enable political processes to be meaningful and legitimate.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/03/un-report-highlights-risk-more-and-gross-human-rights-violations-if-south http://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/co-h-south-sudan/index http://www.globalr2p.org/publications/south-sudan-as-elections-loom-extend-vital-human-rights-commission-mandate   Dec. 2023   South Sudanese’s justice is delayed, denied for a decade, by Tigere Chagutah for Amnesty International   Ten years ago, just two years after independence and following decades of conflict with the North, South Sudan descended into an armed conflict pitting forces loyal to President Salva Kiir Mayardit against his then Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon.   In the decade-long conflict, estimated to have claimed 400,000 lives and displaced millions, Amnesty International has documented violations of international humanitarian law and gross human rights abuses by all sides. These include mass killings, rape and other conflict-related sexual violence, abduction, the recruitment of children into armed forces and groups as well as the burning and looting of civilian infrastructure.   Despite the signing of peace pacts to end the conflict, first in 2015, followed by the 2018 Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS), and most recently, the 2022 Roadmap to extend the transitional period, each including a commitment to hold perpetrators to account, the wait for justice continues.   This lack of accountability has led to near total impunity for serious human rights abuses as witnessed in conflicts in Upper Nile and Unity States and the two administrative regions of Abyei and Pibor, where thousands of people have been displaced and hundreds killed due to the fighting between different armed groups.   A year after the conflict began, the African Union Commission of Inquiry on South Sudan, created to investigate human rights violations following the outbreak of violence, recommended the establishment of a hybrid judicial mechanism to bring those responsible for human rights abuses since December 2013 to justice. The recommendation was later adopted in the 2015 Peace Agreement and again in the 2018 R-ARCSS.   Nine years later, the court is yet to be set up. Neither the African Union nor the Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity seem keen on making progress on the hybrid court. Accountability and justice for victims and survivors remain elusive.   As South Sudan prepares for the country’s first elections in December 2024 to end the transition period, it is essential that justice and accountability are addressed. The same protagonists, President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar, whose forces began the fighting 10 years ago, are likely to be leading electoral contenders.   Experience in the last decade has shown that the continued failure to put in place mechanisms to address past crimes and human rights abuses has led to new cycles of violence and abuse. Regional and international actors must keep a close eye on South Sudan over the coming months.   This is the time to demand political will to implement justice and accountability mechanisms, especially the Hybrid Court for South Sudan, because victims and survivors of atrocities cannot wait another ten years for justice and accountability.   * This oped first ran in Kenya’s Daily Nation on 15 December 2023.   http://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/12/south-sudaneses-justice-is-delayed-denied-for-a-decade/   Mar 2023   Impunity is a major driver of the human rights and humanitarian crises in South Sudan, which continue to cause immense trauma and suffering for civilians in the country, the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan said on Tuesday.   “It is hard to imagine peace while State actors continue to be involved in gross human rights violations,” said Commission member Barney Afako, presenting the latest report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva.   “A true demonstration of the Government’s stated commitments to peace and human rights would involve dismissing the responsible officials and initiating prosecutions.”   Based on investigations undertaken in South Sudan and the neighbouring region throughout 2022, the report identifies widespread attacks against civilians, systematic sexual violence against women and girls, the ongoing presence of children in fighting forces, and State-sponsored extrajudicial killings.   Commission members told the Council that South Sudan “can be different”, and that the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement, which ended a brutal civil war, remains the framework to address the conflict, repression, and corruption.   The Agreement also charts a pathway for South Sudanese to make a permanent constitution that should strengthen rule of law and respect for human rights, thus laying a foundation for national stability, they said.   “The challenge of advancing peace and human rights in South Sudan is very heavy, and international attention and support must not flag,” Mr. Afako said.   While long-delayed progress on a constitution and elections are planned in the next 18 months, the civic space needed to make these meaningful has virtually disappeared, he said. At the same time, activists and journalists operate under threat of death and detention.   “We demand that the authorities immediately end the harassment of civil society, and protect political space,” he said.   Commission member Andrew Clapham said that senior public officials and military officers should be held accountable for serious crimes, “or we will never see an end to the gross human rights violations”.   “Attacks against civilians persist precisely because perpetrators are confident they will enjoy impunity,” he said.   The report’s findings describe multiple situations where State actors are the primary perpetrators of serious crimes under South Sudan’s laws, as well as under international law. Members of non-State armed groups have also committed violent crimes carried out in various areas of conflict.   Established in 2016, the UN Commission is tasked with addressing alleged gross violations and abuses of human rights and related crimes, including sexual and gender-based violence and ethnic violence, with a view to ending impunity and providing accountability.   Its three members are mandated to determine and report facts and circumstances of rights abuse, collect and preserve evidence, and clarify responsibility for alleged violations.   “We have documented human rights violations in South Sudan for many years, and we continue to be shocked by the ongoing violence, including horrific sexual violence, targeting civilians, and perpetrated by members of the armed forces, different militia, and armed groups,” Mr. Clapham said.   Recalling a recent visit, he said Commission members met with brave survivors who shared their experiences of trauma, loss, and hunger.   “Faced with persistent cycles of violence and insecurity, many told us they are disillusioned and losing hope,” he said.   The report detailed specific incidents, including an operation in Leer County, where Government officials directed militias to carry out widespread killings, systematic rape, and forced displacement against civilians in an area considered to be loyal to the opposition.   Mr. Clapham said that although the Government has announced special investigation committees on several situations the Commission has examined, only one such body appears to have carried out inquiries, no reports have been published, and no related criminal trials have taken place. Meanwhile, he said the Commission continues to preserve evidence to enable future prosecutions and other accountability measures.   “The world’s youngest nation stands at a crossroads,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk told the Human Rights Council on Tuesday, “but the Government, with the support of the international community, has the opportunity to choose a path of healing and sustainable peace. Strengthening accountability and civic space are critical.”   Despite calls for a ceasefire and the implementation of the Peace Agreement, conflict and clashes across the country are resulting in a raft of documented human rights violations and abuses against its people.   “Generations of South Sudanese have endured lives of fear, extreme violence, and chronic instability,” he said, urging the Government to uphold its obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law, including by protecting civilians from attack and ensuring accountability for violations.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/co-h-south-sudan/index http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/10/south-sudan-un-inquirys-report-finds-entrenched-repression-imperils http://news.un.org/en/tags/south-sudan   Feb. 2023   South Sudan’s leaders must end attacks on civilians and prioritise peaceful and just transition, say UN experts. (OHCHR)   After nearly five years of delays in the implementation of the 2018 Revitalised Peace Agreement, South Sudan’s political leaders must seize the opportunity to reset the country toward peace, democratic transformation, and prosperity, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan said today.   Members of the Commission* are concluding an 11th country visit, from 14 to 18 February.   “We always appreciate the opportunity to visit South Sudan, and to have meaningful discussions with a range of people, to learn more about the human rights situation and prospects for the credible conclusion of this transition period,” said Commissioner Barney Afako.   “The suffering across the country remains immense. South Sudanese women and girls continue to face unspeakable sexual violence. Political leaders must reorient their priorities and work together to put an end to this needless violence and protect the human rights of South Sudanese. Without a change of approach, the transition will falter,” he added.   “Our Commission has documented human rights violations in South Sudan for many years, but we were still shocked by the sexual violence and continuing attacks against civilians,” remarked Commissioner Andrew Clapham. “The accounts from survivors are horrific. Many people the Commission has met have experienced attacks over and over again. At the same time, people responsible for crimes walk free.”   The Commissioners visited the capital Juba, and Upper Nile State where the UN runs a protection of civilians (POC) site that is struggling to accommodate tens of thousands of new arrivals fleeing violence. Organisations and agencies providing humanitarian support in the areas recounted their struggle to provide required assistance to the large number of people seeking shelter. Limited funding and unsafe supply routes have complicated humanitarian efforts.   The visit included meetings with survivors of human rights violations, members of civil society, senior Government ministers and officials, civilian judges, military judges, diplomats, UN agencies and the UN Mission in South Sudan. Victims and survivors of violence in Upper Nile told the Commissioners horrific stories of vicious attacks. Frightened families hid in the bushes for days and had to walk miles to reach safety.   In the past year, the Commission has documented widespread attacks against civilians in several states, including southern Unity State where Government officials led the attacks. Conflicts in Upper Nile State and northern parts of Jonglei State have involved multiple armed groups, with minimal response from the State, despite months of widespread attacks against civilian population. Extrajudicial killings also continued, implicating senior State officials, who have enjoyed impunity even where the crimes have been caught on camera. Civil society leaders and other observers told the Commissioners that political and civic space in the country has continued to shrink.   “The Commission continues to identify individuals responsible for serious crimes under both South Sudanese and international law. We keep a confidential list of names and collect and preserve evidence against them which could be used for future prosecutions by the Hybrid Court or other suitable accountability mechanisms. We will be identifying some individuals who bear responsibility for certain events covered in our report in this next report for the UN, we would hope that the Government would take steps to hold them accountable,” said Clapham.   In August 2022, parties to the 2018 Revitalized Agreement agreed to a two-year extension of its transitional governance arrangements, thereby postponing planned elections to late 2024. During the Ecumenical visit to South Sudan led by Pope Francis earlier this month, President Salva Kiir committed to resume the “Rome peace talks” with armed groups not party to the 2018 agreement.   There is limited time to make the political transition work. Outstanding key tasks include: the establishment of a unified national army, which started in 2022; the drafting of a constitution to be completed before elections; and establishing three transitional justice mechanisms, none of which are in place despite preparatory work.   "On a visit to South Sudan one year ago, we warned that the country was at a tipping point, given the limited time left to implement critical parts of the peace agreement. Although the transition period has now been extended, there is still an enormous amount of work to do to advance the peace process. South Sudanese are desperate to see greater energy and determination among their leaders to address human rights," Afako added.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/02/south-sudans-leaders-must-end-attacks-civilians-and-prioritise-peaceful-and http://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/co-h-south-sudan/index   Oct. 2022   Urgent Action Needed on Peace Agreement for South Sudan. (OHCHR)   South Sudan’s conflict has become increasingly complex but the level of suffering for millions of civilians remains intolerable, said UN experts visiting Ethiopia for talks with the African Union on the peace process.   Members of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan were in Addis Ababa to urge African countries and other stakeholders to renew their support for implementation of the peace agreement for South Sudan, whose people face one of the gravest humanitarian crises in the region that rarely makes headlines.   “Every new extension of the timelines for implementation of the peace agreement, and indeed every passing day of inaction, means not just time lost, but lives lost,” warned UN Commissioner Barney Afako during the visit. “Every month we see thousands of South Sudanese cross borders, stream into the UN-run protection site or move around the country trying to dodge an ever-shifting mosaic of violence that hardly registers regionally or internationally. Aid agencies struggle even to raise enough money to feed the victims because South Sudan has become invisible in the wake of other crises around the world,” he added.   Progress has been extremely slow in implementing the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement for South Sudan. Under the agreement, a Hybrid Court, a Commission for Truth, Reconciliation and Healing (CTRH) and a reparations process should have been established more than two years ago. Core aspects of the peace agreement, including the unification of security forces, have been plagued by persistent dispute between the parties on allocation of ratios of representation and resources.   The parties to the agreement have also consistently failed to meet deadlines set for critical reforms and the establishment of the transitional justice bodies, without a credible justification for the delays.   “South Sudan’s peace process cannot implement itself; the people of South Sudan whose lives depend on it, want to see more energy expended on breathing life into this document. We urgently need the African Union to take the next steps necessary to set up the Hybrid Court for South Sudan, and support the Truth Commission and the other processes that will give the men with guns serious pause for thought,” said the Chair of the UN Commission, Yasmin Sooka.   “At present South Sudan is a haven for those who commit the most atrocious violence. As a result, nearly nine million South Sudanese still need humanitarian assistance to survive. That’s a staggering three quarters of the population. People are being killed, maimed, raped and made homeless and we know from other countries that a credible truth and justice process is the only way to stop this.”   In meetings in Addis Ababa, the UN Commissioners emphasised thatafter four years South Sudanese are deeply disappointed with the disjointed and piecemeal progress on key provisions of the peace agreement. They pointed out critical provisions of the agreement whose implementation needs to be completed - including the recent graduation of the first batch of unified security forces, and national consultations and other preparations towards establishment of the truth commission.   A clear plan to prepare and adopt a permanent constitution is a critical step that will enable South Sudanese to define their own future and provide the basis for the conduct of elections to conclude the transition. The Commissioners stressed that the political interests of the parties to the peace agreement must not be allowed to impede South Sudan’s path towards healing, recovery and a sustainable peace.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/10/urgent-action-needed-peace-agreement-south-sudan http://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/co-h-south-sudan/index http://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/11/south-sudan-african-union-must-set-precedent-for-african-led-justice-by-establishing-court-for-south-sudan/ http://www.globalr2p.org/countries/south-sudan/ http://reliefweb.int/report/south-sudan/south-sudan-humanitarian-response-plan-2023-december-2022   http://reliefweb.int/report/south-sudan/un-experts-tell-human-rights-council-violence-against-civilians-persists-south-sudan-fuelled-pervasive-impunity http://press.un.org/en/south-sudan http://www.icrc.org/en/document/south-sudan-human-toll-conflict-and-violence-strains-healthcare-system http://www.unhcr.org/news/stories/2023/3/6413297d4/across-borders-south-sudans-displaced-call-peace.html   http://reliefweb.int/report/south-sudan/and-everything-became-war-warrap-state-signing-r-arcss http://smallarmssurvey.org/resource/hsba-maapss-webinar-series-south-sudans-10th-anniversary http://smallarmssurvey.org/project/human-security-baseline-assessment-hsba-sudan-and-south-sudan
	Ethiopia: Scale up humanitarian assistance to all civilians in need by OHCHR, UN News, agencies   Apr. 2025   Hunger and malnutrition are on the rise in Ethiopia as ongoing conflict, regional instability, displacement, drought and economic shocks, leave millions without sufficient nutritious food, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned today.   The organization’s life-saving response has been severely hampered by critical funding shortfalls as 3.6 million of the most vulnerable are at imminent risk of losing food assistance, including malnutrition treatment for 650,000 women and children.   More than 10 million people are facing hunger and malnutrition across Ethiopia. These include three million people forced from their homes due to conflict and extreme weather.   Malnutrition rates are alarmingly high, with 4.4 million pregnant and breastfeeding women and children in need of treatment. In parts of Somali, Oromia, Tigray, and Afar regions, child wasting has surpassed the 15 percent emergency threshold.   Humanitarian needs in Ethiopia are rising due to conflict in neighboring countries. WFP already supports 800,000 refugees in Ethiopia, including 100,000 Sudanese refugees, while escalating insecurity in northeastern South Sudan could drive thousands more refugees across the border.   Poor rainfall expected in south-eastern Ethiopia through May risks another drought in the Somali region as families are still reeling from the 2020-2023 drought – the country’s longest on record.   Without urgent new funding, 3.6 million of Ethiopia’s most vulnerable people will lose access to WFP’s life-saving food and nutrition assistance in the coming weeks. WFP is being forced to halt treatment for 650,000 malnourished women and children in May due to insufficient funding. WFP had planned to reach 2 million mothers and children with life-saving nutrition assistance in 2025.   Cash and in-kind food assistance for up to one million refugees will stop in June if additional funding is not received and the number of people fleeing violence in South Sudan continues.   Despite the generosity of many governments and individual donors, WFP in Ethiopia faces a funding shortfall of US$222 million between April and September 2025.   http://www.wfp.org/news/wfp-warns-rising-hunger-and-malnutrition-ethiopia-humanitarian-needs-outpace-resources http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/unicef-deputy-executive-director-kitty-van-der-heijden-palais-briefing-ethiopia http://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/in-ethiopia-the-margins-between-starvation-and-survival-narrow-as-food-aid-becomes-scarce   Mar. 2024   Scars of War and Deprivation: An Urgent Call to Reverse Tigray’s Humanitarian Crisis. (Refugees International)   It has been over a year since peace was declared between the Federal Ethiopia Government and authorities in the Tigray region. Yet at a time when the region should be recovering, people remain in crisis. Widespread hunger is gripping a portion of the population, including the most vulnerable.   That hunger is a function of two years of living under siege during the war, a crippling drought, and a nearly seven-month pause in food aid intended to root out corruption. Mothers who survived gang-rape by soldiers should be undergoing treatment for physical and mental healing, but instead are wondering how they will feed their children.   For a range of reasons, aid has not scaled up to meet the need of Tigray’s internally displaced people (IDPs). If relief does not come, many will die, and some even fear that the fragile peace agreement could be in jeopardy.   Tigray’s brutal conflict, which started in November 2020, may have taken upwards of 600,000 lives and displaced nearly 3 million people. Widespread human rights violations and sexual violence have left deep scars on the population.   During the conflict, much of the region was cut off from food and medicine, and communications and banking were blocked. Many are still unable to return home because Eritrean troops, Amhara forces, and others have yet to fully withdraw from these western and southern parts of Tigray, despite of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoHA) (also known as the Pretoria Agreement) requiring them to do so.   In 2023, just as the population was trying to begin recovery efforts, the U.S. government announced a pause in its food assistance program. The decision was due to widespread corruption and aid diversion by Ethiopian government and regional officials, with some food aid being sold for profit in local markets. While the investigation and much-needed reforms made operational sense, the timing could hardly have been worse.   The real-life consequences for millions were catastrophic for the nearly one-sixth of Ethiopians who rely on food aid. Food assistance resumed in December 2023 and is slowly returning, but hunger is outpacing the scale-up. Aid groups indicate that only 14 percent of those targeted for food aid had received it by January 21, 2024, and that child malnutrition rates are around 26.5 percent.   Tigray’s displaced population – and children, elderly, and women in particular – are feeling the food shortages most acutely. Some parents are feeding their families cattle roots, and others are forcing their children to sleep longer to avoid hunger pains. Stunting levels – which indicate chronic undernutrition that prevents children from reaching their full physical and mental potential – were at 43 percent in 2023, and malnourished pregnant and lactating women had rates as high as 70 percent in some parts of the region. The Tigray Bureau of Health indicated that 60 percent of households have moderate or severe hunger, compared to just 3 percent before the war.   Growing hunger could also undercut the peace deal, which should pave the way for the population to begin to recover and return to their daily lives. And while a long-term, development-oriented response that considers the drought and other effects of climate change in Ethiopia needs to remain a priority, the most pressing needs are still how to stop people from dying of hunger today.   The government of Ethiopia bears full responsibility for the protection of its population and their access to basic rights, including ensuring that it is facilitating aid reaching all regions, and upholding its commitments in the peace agreement. IDPs in Tigray need peace to hold and for armed groups in western and southern Tigray to leave so they can return home.   They also need access to services, including the reinstatement of Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP), a social safety net that can provide cash for families facing food insecurity, the rebuilding of health infrastructure, and other essential services.   For its part, the international community will face a reckoning on its lack of action in Tigray. A surprisingly small number of aid actors are operating in Tigray, and relief workers interviewed acknowledged that the scale up in response to the current crisis has been limited.   There is a perception among many external actors that peace and recovery are taking place in Tigray – and some displaced have indeed returned and resumed their lives. Yet much of the region remains in dire straits, and many who remain displaced are languishing in very difficult conditions.   Aid groups also reflected a disconnect, where perceptions driving aid from Addis Ababa are out of step with the realities in Tigray. And while it is true that aid budgets are shrinking globally, the aid community must push for more across Tigray and the rest of Ethiopia. The lack of scale-up not only jeopardizes the region’s recovery, but risks undercutting the Pretoria Agreement’s attempts to bring stability to the region..   http://www.refugeesinternational.org/reports-briefs/scars-of-war-and-deprivation-an-urgent-call-to-reverse-tigrays-humanitarian-crisis http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/nov/07/ethiopia-justice-tigray-atrocities-crimes-violence   * 2025: Tigrayan survivors seek justice in German courts. (DW, agencies)   A group of Tigrayan survivors is seeking justice in Germany for war crimes committed during Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict. Experts say this could send a global message that war crimes will be punished.   A criminal complaint has been filed with the German Federal Public Prosecutor concerning alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the2020-2022 conflict in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region. The complaint, submitted by Legal Action Worldwide (LAW) and the Berlin law firm Oehmichen International, targets 12 senior Ethiopian and Eritrean government officials and military officers. The Federal Public Prosecutor has confirmed that it received the complaint.   "Now it is up to the Federal Public Prosecutor to decide whether to initiate an investigation," said Nick Leddy, the lead lawyer at LAW.   "We have submitted an extensive body of evidence — our complaint is over 100 pages long with multiple appendices, including numerous publicly available pieces of evidence and witness testimonies. We hope that the German authorities take up this complaint and launch what is called a structural investigation," he told DW..   http://www.dw.com/en/tigrayan-survivors-seek-justice-in-german-courts/a-72099489 http://www.globalr2p.org/publications/joint-ngo-submission-to-the-83rd-ordinary-session-of-the-african-commission-on-human-and-peoples-rights-on-ongoing-human-rights-violations-in-ethiopia   Sep. 2023   Ethiopia: Nearly one year after ceasefire, UN experts warn of ongoing atrocities, including war crimes and crimes against humanity, in report to the UN Human Rights Council.   Nearly one year since the signing of an agreement to cease hostilities in Ethiopia, atrocities, war crimes and crimes against humanity are still being committed in the country and peace remains elusive, the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia warned in its latest report.   In its 21-page report, the Commission documented wide-ranging atrocities perpetrated by all parties to the conflict since 3 November 2020. These include mass killings, rape, starvation, destruction of schools and medical facilities, forced displacement and arbitrary detention.   "While the signing of the agreement may have mostly silenced the guns, it has not resolved the conflict in the north of the country, in particular in Tigray, nor has it brought about any comprehensive peace," Commission Chair Mohamed Chande Othman said. "The situation in Ethiopia remains extremely grave."   "Violent confrontations are now at a near-national scale, with alarming reports of violations against civilians in the Amhara region and on-going atrocities in Tigray," Othman said. "The situation in Oromia, Amhara and other parts of the country - including ongoing patterns of violations, entrenched impunity, and increasing securitization of the state - bear hallmarked risks of further atrocities and crimes."   The Commission's latest report to the UN Human Rights Council confirmed that Eritrean troops and Amhara militia members continue to commit grave violations in Tigray, including the systematic rape and sexual violence of women and girls, in violation of the Federal Government's own commitments on human rights and territorial integrity.   The Commission also uncovered on-going patterns by Government forces of arrest, detention, and torture of civilians in Oromia, and is already receiving numerous credible reports of violations against Amhara civilians since the announcement of a state of emergency in August 2023.   "We cannot overstate the gravity of violations perpetrated in Ethiopia by all parties during the recent conflict. Especially concerning is that some of these crimes are ongoing, in particular rape and sexual violence against women and girls by Eritrean forces in Tigray," said Commissioner Radhika Coomaraswamy. "The ongoing presence of Eritrean troops in Ethiopia is a clear sign not only of an entrenched policy of impunity, but also continued support for and tolerance of such violations by the Federal Government."   "Atrocities have devastated communities and have seriously eroded the fabric of society," Coomaraswamy said. "Entire families have been killed, relatives forced to watch horrific crimes against their loved ones, while whole communities have been displaced or expelled from their homes; many too fearful to return, others unable to. Trauma, both individual and collective, is likely to persist for generations."   "The need for a credible, inclusive, and meaningful process of truth, justice, reconciliation and healing has never been more urgent," Coomaraswamy added.   The report notes the Government of Ethiopia has failed to effectively prevent or investigate violations and has instead initiated a flawed transitional justice consultation process where victims remain overlooked. Earlier this year, the Federal Government released its draft "Ethiopia Policy Options for Transitional Justice," launching a series of consultations on a potential domestic transitional justice process. The Commission, however, found that the process has been rushed to meet an arbitrary deadline set by the Government, and has not sufficiently engaged victims in many areas, including Ethiopian refugees living in neighbouring countries.   "Transitional justice is aimed at helping countries come to terms with past atrocities, yet our engagement with hundreds of victims, their families, and representatives indicates a complete lack of trust in the ability or willingness of Ethiopian State institutions to carry out a credible process -- in particular because State officials and entities are polarized and lack independence," said Commissioner Steven Ratner.   "When we observe current transitional justice initiatives in Ethiopia, it is hard not to be struck by evidence of 'quasi-compliance' -- deliberate Government attempts to evade international scrutiny through the creation of domestic mechanisms and instrumentalization of others," Ratner said. "This has served primarily to alleviate international pressure and prevent stronger international engagement or investigation. For the hundreds of thousands of victims of atrocities across Ethiopia, this cannot be allowed to continue."   The Commission's report warned about the continued presence of most of the indicators and triggers contained in the UN Framework of Analysis for Atrocity Crimes. It highlighted the risk of further large-scale atrocity crimes, expressing deep concern that many of the hallmarked risk factors of future atrocity crimes remain present in Ethiopia.   The Commission also noted an alarming pattern of increased securitization of the State through the imposition of states of emergencies and the establishment of militarized "Command Posts" without civilian oversight. Such structures are often accompanied by serious violations.   Just last month, Ethiopia announced a six-month state of emergency, which established a Command Post system across the Amhara region, with multiple urban centers in the region now under curfew. The Commission is already receiving reports of mass arbitrary detention of Amhara civilians and at least one drone strike carried out by the State.   "We are deeply alarmed by the deteriorating security situation in Amhara and the continued presence of risk factors for atrocity crimes. This evolving situation has huge implications for stability in Ethiopia and the wider region, and in particular the tens of millions of women, men, and children who call it home," Othman said. "The importance of ongoing and robust independent monitoring and investigations cannot be overstated."   # The Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia was established by the Human Rights Council on 17 December 2021, through resolution S-33/1,to conduct thorough and impartial investigations into allegations of violations and abuses of international human rights law and violations of international humanitarian law and international refugee law in Ethiopia committed since 3 November 2020 by all parties to the conflict, including the possible gender dimensions of such violations and abuses.   http://reliefweb.int/report/ethiopia/ethiopia-nearly-one-year-after-ceasefire-un-experts-warn-ongoing-atrocities-including-war-crimes-and-crimes-against-humanity http://www.hrw.org/news/2023/11/02/ethiopia-atrocities-mar-ceasefire-anniversary http://news.un.org/en/story/2023/10/1142297 http://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/ichre-ethiopa/index http://reliefweb.int/report/ethiopia/ethiopia-united-nations-special-adviser-warns-heightened-risk-genocide-and-related-atrocity-crimes-amid-increased-violent-clashes-tigray-amhara-afar-and-oromi http://www.ids.ac.uk/opinions/marking-the-third-year-of-the-tigray-war/ http://news.un.org/en/story/2023/09/1140872 http://news.un.org/en/story/2023/10/1141832   Aug. 2023   Ethiopia: De-escalate tensions in Amhara, international rights experts urge. (UN News)   An international human rights body focused on Ethiopia has voiced deep concerns over the worsening security situation in the northwest of the country, particularly in the Amhara region.   On 4 August, the Ethiopian Council of Ministers declared a state of emergency in the region after, according to media reports, the regional leader said he was no longer able to contain a surge of violence between a local militia and the army over a disputed plan to absorb the regional security forces into the national army.   The International Commission of Human Rights Experts took note of the declaration of the state of emergency, adding that it required approval by the House of Peoples’ Representatives, as per the Ethiopian Constitution.   “Previous states of emergency have been accompanied by violations of human rights,” the Commission said in a statement on Thursday.   “We therefore urge the Government to strictly adhere to the principles of necessity, proportionality, and non-discrimination in accordance with its international legal obligations under Article 4 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.”   The Commission also called on all sides to respect human rights and take steps to deescalate the situation and prioritize efforts towards a peaceful resolution of differences.   Meanwhile, the Director-General of the UN World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, raised an alarm over the humanitarian situation in Amhara.   “The people of Amhara cannot bear another conflict. WHO calls on all parties to the conflict to cease hostilities and return to talks,” he said at a regular press briefing in Geneva on Wednesday.   According to WHO, almost two million people are in need of health assistance, and the situation is made more complex by the influx of refugees from the conflict in neighbouring Sudan.   * The International Commission was established by the UN Human Rights Council in December 2021 to conduct an impartial investigation into allegations of violations of international human rights law, international humanitarian law and international refugee law in Ethiopia committed since 3 November 2020, which marked the start of the conflict in Tigray. The Commission’s mandate was most recently extended for a period of one year, until December 2023.   http://news.un.org/en/story/2023/08/1139652 http://reliefweb.int/report/ethiopia/fact-sheet-crisis-ethiopias-amhara-region http://reliefweb.int/report/ethiopia/deepening-crisis-ethiopias-amhara-region http://www.icrc.org/en/document/ethiopia-healthcare-crisis-oromia-exacerbated-massive-displacement http://www.acaps.org/en/countries/ethiopia# http://www.globalr2p.org/countries/ethiopia/ http://www.hrw.org/news/2023/09/04/qa-justice-serious-international-crimes-committed-ethiopia   Nov. 2022   Ethiopia's Tigray conflict: Truce agreement announced. (Agencies)   The parties in the conflict in Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray have agreed on a “permanent cessation of hostilities”, the African Union mediator reported after a week of formal peace talks in South Africa.   Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo said that Ethiopia’s government and Tigrayan authorities have agreed on “orderly, smooth and coordinated disarmament” along with “restoration of law and order,” “restoration of services” and “unhindered access to humanitarian supplies”.   The week-long talks marked the first formal dialogue for ending a war that has killed hundreds of thousands and unleashed a humanitarian crisis.   Sadly, this is not the first ceasefire in the conflict - a previous one was breached in August, just months after both sides committed to it.   The war, which broke out in November 2020, has pitted regional forces from Tigray against Ethiopia’s federal army and its allies, which include forces from other regions and from neighbouring Eritrea.   Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed hailed the deal and said it would be implemented. “The commitment to peace remains steadfast. And our commitment to collaborating for the implementation of the agreement is equally strong,” he said in a statement.   Tigray’s rebels hailed the deal. “We are ready to implement and expedite this agreement,” said the head of their delegation, Getachew Reda. “In order to address the pains of our people, we have made concessions because we have to build trust.   “Ultimately, the fact that we have reached a point where we have now signed an agreement speaks volumes about the readiness on the part of the two sides to lay the past behind them to chart a new path of peace,” said Reda.   United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the truce agreement.   “It is very much a welcome first step, which we hope can start to bring some solace to the millions of Ethiopian civilians that have really suffered during this conflict,” the spokesperson for the secretary-general, Stephane Dujarric told reporters.   He said the Agreement is a critical first step towards ending the devastating two-year old conflict in which the lives and livelihoods of so many Ethiopians have been lost.   "The Secretary General urges all Ethiopians and the international community to support the important step taken by the Federal Government of Ethiopia and the Tigrayan leadership.. He urges them to continue with negotiations on the outstanding issues in a spirit of reconciliation in order to reach a lasting political settlement, silence the guns and put the country back on the path to peace and stability".   There are at least 5.2 million people in urgent need of humanitarian assistance in Tigray, and it has been two months since the last humanitarian aid reached the region. Almost 90% of people in the northern Tigray region need food aid, the World Health Organization says. With a third of the region's children suffering from malnutrition.   Stephane Dujarric said the Secretary-General appeals to all stakeholders to seize the opportunity that the cessation of hostilities provides to immediately scale up humanitarian assistance to all civilians in need and to restore the desperately needed public services.   Neither Eritrea nor regional forces allied with the Ethiopian army took part in the talks in South Africa and it was unclear whether they would abide by the agreement reached. Forces from Ethiopia’s neighbouring Amhara region have been fighting Tigray troops, and were not represented at the peace talks.   Eritrean forces have been blamed for some of the conflict’s worst abuses, including gang-rapes, and witnesses have described killings and looting by Eritrean forces even during the peace talks. Both sides to the conflict have been accused of atrocities.   A critical question is how soon aid can return to Tigray, where communications and transport links have been largely severed since the conflict began. Doctors have described running out of basic medicines like vaccines, insulin and therapeutic food while people die of easily preventable diseases and starvation.   United Nations human rights investigators have said the Ethiopian government was using “starvation of civilians” as a weapon of war during the conflict.   “We’re back to 18th-century surgery,” a surgeon at the region’s flagship hospital, Fasika Amdeslasie, told health experts at an event on Wednesday. “It’s like an open-air prison.”   A humanitarian source said their organisation could resume operations almost immediately, if unfettered aid access to Tigray were granted.   “It entirely depends on what the government agrees to … If they genuinely give us access, we can start moving very quickly, in hours, not weeks,” said the source, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly.   http://reliefweb.int/report/ethiopia/ethiopia-tigray-crisis-emergency-2022-dref-application-mdret029 http://reports.unocha.org/en/country/ethiopia http://news.un.org/en/story/2022/11/1130137 http://reliefweb.int/country/eth http://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/16/food-aid-convoys-tigray-ethiopia-ceasefire http://www.bbc.com/news/57929853 http://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/10/tigray-without-aid-eight-days-after-deal-end-ethiopia-blockade http://english.elpais.com/international/2023-01-27/ethiopias-forgotten-war-is-the-deadliest-of-the-21st-century-with-around-600000-civilian-deaths.html http://www.acaps.org/country/ethiopia/special-reports#container-1832   18 Oct. 2022   The latest alarming airstrikes on the Tigray region risk seriously exacerbating the already devastating impact of hostilities on civilians, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk warned today.   “Since 31 August we have received numerous reports of civilian casualties and destruction of civilian objects due to airstrikes and artillery strikes in Tigray – disruptions to communication make it particularly difficult to verify reports, but it is clear that the toll on civilians is utterly staggering,” Türk said.   Among those killed in recent incidents was a staff member of the NGO International Rescue Committee, who was part of a team delivering humanitarian assistance to women and children.   “In the midst of a grim humanitarian situation, this is completely unacceptable,” High Commissioner Türk said.   “I am also deeply troubled by the significant risk of escalation in light of continued mass mobilisation of soldiers and fighters by various parties to the conflict.”   The High Commissioner appealed to all parties to the conflict to immediately cease all hostilities and work towards a peaceful and lasting solution.   Parties to the conflict must respect international human rights law and international humanitarian law by, among other actions, taking all feasible measures to protect civilians and civilian objects, and allowing humanitarian assistance to reach all those in need.   “Under international law, indiscriminate attacks or attacks deliberately targeting civilians or civilian objects amount to war crimes,” Türk added.   The High Commissioner stressed the need to support all efforts towards ensuring accountability for gross violations and abuses of international human rights law and international humanitarian law committed during the conflict.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/10/ethiopia-un-human-rights-chief-volker-turk-warns-devastating-impact http://news.un.org/en/story/2022/10/1129632 http://www.hrw.org/news/2022/10/18/civilians-ethiopias-tigray-region-heightened-risk http://starvationaccountability.org/news-and-events/an-osint-investigation-of-starvation-crimes-in-tigray/ http://www.ei-ie.org/en/item/26968:ethiopia-trade-union-demands-de-escalation-of-military-hostilities-and-continued-humanitarian-assistance   17 Oct. 2022   Ethiopia's Tigray conflict: Greater Civilian suffering as offensive escalates, by Mary Harper - Africa editor, BBC World Service News   Diplomats are warning of greater civilian suffering in Ethiopia's northern region of Tigray. Tigray residents say food and medical supplies are running out as a massive offensive on the region intensifies.   Cities are being carpet bombed, says Tedros Ghebreyesus, the World Health Organization chief, who is from Tigray. Civilians are being killed and those wounded cannot be saved because of a siege, he says.   Tigray has been under a blockade for 17 months and fighting has surged since a five-month humanitarian truce collapsed in August. An estimated one million people are at risk of starvation.   The African Union (AU) has joined the chorus of international voices calling for an end to hostilities and a recommitment to peace talks.   On Friday, an aid worker from the International Rescue Committee was killed while delivering emergency food to women and children in the town of Shire, which has come under ferocious bombardment.   The EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell expressed horror at the violence in Shire, often directed at civilians.   Camps for the millions of people displaced by the fighting are also coming under attack, according to Samantha Power, the head of the US's development agency.   If Ethiopian and Eritrean troops took control of them during the current offensive there was "significant risk of further assaults and killings being perpetrated against civilians", the US Aid chief said.   "The staggering human cost of this conflict should shock the world's conscience," she added.   A resident of Tigray's main city of Mekelle told the BBC there was almost no food in the city. He said small amounts of the staple grain, teff, were being sold - at more than three times last year's price. Drones are flying overhead constantly, terrifying the population.   Kjetil Tronvoll, a professor in conflict studies at the Oslo New University College in Norway, says World War One tactics are being used by Ethiopia's and Eritrea's infantry forces who are pushing "massive human waves" on Tigrayan defensive lines. The analyst said that in his opinion the world's biggest ongoing armed conflict was currently not Russia's attack on Ukraine, but the Ethiopian and Eritrean operation against Tigray.   He suggested that up to one million soldiers were engaged in the offensive. "The carnage is horrendous. Likely as many as 100,000 have been slaughtered over the last weeks," he noted. Ethiopia and Eritrea blame Tigray's TPLF group for starting the conflict in November 2020.   UK-based Horn of Africa analyst Abdurahman Sayed estimates that between 700,000 and 800,000 people have already lost their lives in almost two years of fighting. "This is the most brutal war in the history of Ethiopia," he said. http://bbc.in/3D8ESjy   http://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/horn-africa/call-action-averting-atrocities-ethiopias-tigray-war http://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/horn-africa/ethiopia/crisiswatch-digest-ethiopia http://www.undispatch.com/the-ethiopia-tigray-crisis-is-escalating-sharply/   Oct. 2022   Ethiopia: UN chief ‘gravely concerned’ by escalation in fighting across Tigray. (UN News)   The UN Secretary-General has issued a statement expressing grave concern over the escalation of fighting in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, where Government troops and separatist forces have been locked in conflict since November 2020.   The latest surge in violence began in August, after a fragile five-month humanitarian truce, which has halted aid deliveries into the northern Ethiopian region, where at least five million civilians are in need of aid.   Aid distribution continues to be hampered by a lack of fuel, and a communications shutdown across Tigray, while Tigrayan commanders have claimed that Eritrea has launched an offensive in support of Ethiopian Government forces, according to news reports.   UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in the statement issued by his Spokeperson, that the upsurge in fighting was having “a devastating impact on civilians in what is already a dire humanitarian situation”.   He is calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities. “The Secretary-General reiterates his full support to an African Union led mediation process and reaffirms the United Nations readiness to support the urgent resumption of talks in order to reach a lasting political settlement to this catastrophic conflict.”   Just last month, African Union-mediated talks were due to take place in South Africa, but were postponed.   Hundreds of thousands have been displaced in Tigray as well as neighbouring northern regions of Amhara and Afar, while tens of thousands are believed to have been killed. Millions of lives are being impacted by the conflict.   In a humanitarian update on 4 October, UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, said the situation in the northern parts of the country remains fluid, continuing to endanger and displace people. It is estimated that the fighting has displaced hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children in parts of Tigray, Afar and Amhara regions, and is impacting the lives and livelihoods of millions living in conflict-affected areas.   Our humanitarian colleagues are telling us that large parts of Tigray region and several areas in Amhara and Afar are still inaccessible due to the reported ongoing fighting, which is hindering humanitarian access to people in need, including many thousands of displaced people.   Despite security concerns, access restrictions and lack of resources, our humanitarian partners continue to respond in areas they can access in the three regions.   http://reports.unocha.org/en/country/ethiopia   Aug. 2022 (Reuters, agencies)   The nearly two-year conflict in Northern Ethiopia has left almost half the population of the Tigray region without adequate food, as aid groups struggle to reach rural areas because of insufficient fuel supplies, the World Food Programme (WFP) says.   Even though the delivery of aid resumed after the federal government declared a unilateral ceasefire in March, malnutrition rates have "skyrocketed" and are expected to worsen, the United Nations agency said in an assessment.   Services such as banking and telecommunications were cut in Tigray, home to about 5.5 million people, days after the national army and allied forces pulled out a year ago. They are yet to be restored, hampering the ability of people to buy food, the WFP said.   "Hunger has deepened, rates of malnutrition have skyrocketed, and the situation is set to worsen as people enter peak hunger season until this year's harvest in October," the WFP report said.   Half of pregnant or lactating women in Tigray are malnourished, as well as a third of children under five, leading to stunting and maternal death, the report found.   Across Tigray and the neighbouring regions of Afar and Amhara, also affected by the war, an estimated 13 million people need food aid, a 44 per cent increase from the previous WFP report released in January.   The United Nations said that since April 1 only 1,750,000 litres of fuel had entered Tigray, less than 20 per cent of the monthly humanitarian needs in the region. Last week, EU and US envoys urged the Ethiopian government to swiftly resume services and lift restrictions on fuel essential for aid distribution. Banking services and all communications have been cut off to the state by the Ethiopian administration since last year, with 6 million people denied access to their own money.   Hopes for imminent peace talks between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the party that controls Tigray, are fading, as both parties accuse the other of not wanting to come to the negotiating table. The Ethiopian prime minister has been accused of imposing a de facto blockade on Tigray and preventing aid from getting through.   In March, the Ethiopian government declared a “humanitarian truce” after months of international pressure. Thousands of people have died since war broke out in November 2020, between Ethiopia’s federal government and the TPFL, the ruling forces in Tigray, and millions need food assistance.   http://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/24/fighting-in-northern-ethiopia-shatters-months-long-truce-tigray http://reliefweb.int/report/ethiopia/ethiopia-tigray-emergency-food-security-assessment-tigray-crisis-response-august-2022 http://reliefweb.int/report/ethiopia/northern-ethiopia-protection-analysis-update-may-2022 http://www.hrw.org/news/2022/08/31/confronting-ethiopias-abusive-siege http://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/analysis/2022/09/28/Ethiopia-Tigray-Amhara-blockade-AU-Obasanjo http://www.france24.com/en/africa/20220919-un-human-rights-council-warns-of-more-atrocity-crimes-in-ethiopia http://news.un.org/en/story/2022/09/1127481 http://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/ichre-ethiopa/index http://reliefweb.int/country/eth   2 Apr. 2022   A convoy of aid trucks has entered Tigrayan-controlled Ethiopian territory for the first time in over three months, reports the World Food Program. (DW,agencies)   Aid trucks entered Tigrayan-held territory in Ethiopia on Friday, the World Food Program (WFP) announced. The UN food agency said it was the first time since December 15 that its convoys had been able to enter areas controlled by Tigrayan forces.   WFP's dedicated Ethiopia account noted: "Just arrived in Erepti and will soon cross into Tigray, bringing in over 500 mt [metric tons] of urgently needed WFP/partner food and nutrition supplies for communities on edge of starvation.. We expect to be in Mekelle soon. Another convoy with over 1,000mt of food is arriving into Northern Afar this afternoon to deliver to communities in dire need," according to the WFP. Mekelle is the Tigray region's capital, and Erepti is one of the six districts of the neighboring Afar region.   Malnutrition and food insecurity are at alarming levels in northern Ethiopia, according to the WFP. An estimated 9 million people in Tigray, Amhara and the Afar regions require food assistance due to the country's civil war.   Supplies of food in Tigray are "minimal," according to a recent report by the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The main road between Afar's regional capital, Semera, and Tigray has been blocked since the middle of December.   Government officials deny the accusations. The UN repeatedly called on the national Government to get aid into the north of the country and has called food shortages there "man-made."   In November 2020, war broke out in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. The central government in Addis Ababa has been fighting rebels aligned with the political party in control of the Tigray region, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) for the last 17 months. In the past week, Addis Ababa has declared an immediate unilateral truce to permit aid into the Tigray region, though matters of enforcement remained unclear.   http://reports.unocha.org/en/country/ethiopia http://www.msf.org/urgent-increase-needed-humanitarian-response-malnutrition-crisis-northeast-ethiopia http://reliefweb.int/country/eth
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