The 72-hour ultimatum to surrender issued by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to Debretsion Gebremichael, the leader Of Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), has since lapsed.
There were protests outside the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) in Pretoria by Ethiopians from the Tigray region living in South Africa, calling for an immediate end of the ongoing conflict.
Mr. Abiy on Wednesday warned against outside interference from the International Community. He instead urged their “friends” to offer help only when Addis Ababa officially asks for it.
“While we consider the concerns of our friends, we reject any interference in our internal affairs. We therefore respectfully urge the international community to refrain from any unwelcome and unlawful acts of interference and respect the fundamental principle of non-intervention,” he said.
The late remarks by the Premier have put off any hopes for mediation.
International Community call for peace
Addis Ababa earlier told African Union’s (AU) special envoy to Ethiopia that they would only engage in “one on one” talks with the Premier but not to lobby for meditation with TPLF.
The AU move to send a special envoy has been lauded by both the United Nations (UN) and the United States (US).
The UN Security Council canceled their closed-door meeting to discuss the Tigray situation scheduled for Tuesday. After Niger, South Africa, Tunisia, and Saint Vincent, and the Grenadines withdrew their call for a behind-closed-door meeting citing that AU’s special envoy was yet to travel to Ethiopia.
The US National Security Council has also called for mediation to end the tragic conflict, increasing the pressure for a peaceful resolution by the two Ethiopian leaders.
Concerns for civilians
Rights groups have raised concerns that the lives of civilians may be at risk after Col Dejene Tsegaye, a military spokesperson, called on Makelle, Tigray’s capital, civilians to “save themselves from any artillery attacks.”
Amnesty International’s Director for East Africa, Deprose Muchena, warned that deliberately attacking civilians and civilian objects are prohibited under international humanitarian law and constitute war crimes.
Horn of Africa Director at the Human Rights Watch, Laetitia Bader, has on the other side stated that making a whole city “a military target” would not only be “unlawful” but also a form of “collective punishment.”
Ethiopia has since responded, claiming a misinterpretation of Tsegaye’s words and that “there will be great care to protect civilians during law enforcement.”
Tigray Situation
On Tuesday, Ethiopian Human Rights Commission claimed that an attack in Mai Kadra a fortnight ago saw a Tigrayan youth group, with local authorities’ cooperation, strangle, stab and batter to death at least 600 civilians. The massacre focused primarily on non-Tigrayans, from Wolkait and Amhara ethnic groups. TPLF leaders are yet to confirm the accusations.
Hundreds have been killed, and more than 40,000 have gone to seek refuge in neighboring Sudan.
Roads in Tigray are crowded with people fleeing the fight, while there is still blackout following the electricity outage in the region.
Fighting has subsided in the west of Tigray, with civil servants from Amhara arriving to take over some towns’ administration.
At the checkpoints in town squares in Humera, TPLF banners have been replaced by the imperial-era flag of Amhara nationalism having green, yellow and red colors.
The situation at Sudan Refugee Camps
According to Mamoun Abuarqub, UNHCR-Emergency Coordinator, relocating refugees is a problem owing to the 15hours trip from the Um Raquba reception center to the Gedaref state camp.
UNHCR also says refugees cover long distances before making it to the border, and they are unable to trace some refugees since they move in huge numbers and various directions.
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