The G7 Should Uphold Human Rights at the Heart of its Foreign Policy & investment in Ethiopia & Eritrea

Open Letters


H.E. Olaf Scholz
Chancellor of Germany
Berlin

H.E. Joe Biden
President of the United States of America
Washington

H.E. Boris Johnson
Prime minister of the United Kingdom
London

H.E. Emmanuel Macron
President of France
Paris

H.E. Mario Draghi
Prime minister of Italy
Rome

H.E. Fumio Kishida
Prime minister of Japan
Tokyo

H.E. Justin Trudeau
Prime minister of Canada
Ontario

H.E. Charles Michel
President of the European Council
Brussels

H.E. Ursula von der Leyen
President of the European Commission
Brussels


RE: The G7
 Should Uphold Human Rights at the Heart of its Foreign Policy & investment in Ethiopia & Eritrea

On your 47th summit, in 2021 you made the following statements:

  • Demand for the immediate withdrawal of invading Eritrean forces, but the Eritrean army is still occupying Western Tigray and continue to rape and kill innocent people.
  • Unimpeded access to humanitarian aid, but all aid routes (except one ) are deliberately blocked.
  • Condemnation of the atrocities committed on Tigray and calls for accountability; but currently the Eritrean and Ethiopian government are not cooperating with the UNHRC Commission.

Your Excellencies,

The international community is extremely horrified by the genocidal actions of the Ethiopian and Eritrean governments, heartbroken by the ongoing ethnic cleansing, rape of women and girls, effective siege and genocidal war in Tigray.

TADAUK believes the G7 countries should uphold human rights at the heart of its foreign policy and investment in Ethiopia. The EU postponement of budget support to the Ethiopian government is principled and farsighted policy. The EU and USAactions has brought a positive impact, sentunequivocal messages to rogue entities & war criminals. Other entities including the World Bank and IMF should also refrain from making premature decisions and comply with their own internal ESGrequirements  

We believe the recent statement of the Government of Ethiopia announcing a humanitarian truce that followed by a statement from Tigrayan leaders ispartly the by-product of the ongoing diplomatic and economic pressures by the UK, EU, USA and their allies. This is an important step that should be maintained until the inhumane siege is lifted and the Eritrean mercenaries are verifiably withdrawn from Western and North Eastern Tigray. 

We are grateful to G7 calls towards a ceasefire and lifting current siege. However, this didn’t stop causality reports including 120000 conflict rape cases, 50,000 to 100,000 victims of direct killings, 150,000 to 200,000 starvation deaths, and more than 100,000 additional deaths caused by a lack of health care, and 2.2 million people are still internally displaced.According to researchers led by Jan Nyssen of Ghent University, an estimated half a million Tigrayans lost their lives due to the genocidal war perpetuated by the Amhara, Ethiopian and Eritrean armies. Tigray war has seen up to half a million dead from violence and starvation, say researchers – The Globe and Mail

We are grateful that G7 countries have organised humanitarian air bridges with several member states to deliver aid into Tigray. We can imagine what would have happened without these humanitarian air bridges?  However, the Ethiopian Government still continue to deliberately hamper aid delivery, by playing cat and mouse games, putting significant obstacle to aid operations, clearly using food as a weapon of war.

We recognise the G7 calls to all parties to the conflict to fully respect International Humanitarian Law, including protection of civilians and humanitarian workers. However, the Ethiopian government, the Eritrean army and the Amhara Militia still occupy vast areas in Western and North Eastern Tigray, extrajudicial killing, and rape of women and girls are continuing with vengeance. Tigray is under effective siege with no telecommunication, banking and adequate medical supplies.

We believe the EU, UK and USA postponement of budget support to the Ethiopian Government is judicious, farsighted and responsible. The EthiopianGovernment must stop this senseless war on the Tigrayan people and other ethnic communities, including the Oromo’s, Benshangul Gumuz, Agaw, Gambella, Kemant and Afar peoples.Please note the recent HRW and Amnesty International Report. https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/06/17/eu-should-press-ethiopia-tangible-rights-progress

We at TADAUK agree with the G7 stance that the only path to a sustainable solution is through an inclusive and constructive political dialogue. We are encouraged by the continuous efforts of the PSC- EU, the role played by his Excellency Joseph Borrell and the Special Representative for the Horn of Africa, Dr Annette Weber, the UK and USA governments.

We plead to all G7 member countries to avoid premature conclusions thinking the Eritrean and Ethiopian Government are changing their genocidal behaviour. In fact, the genocidal regimes are preparing for another round of offensive, while the international community’s attention is diverted on another genocidal war in Ukraine. The recent voting habits of Ethiopia and Eritrea are a testaments to their destructive role in international peace and security.The Russians and the Chinese governments continue to play their destructive role in Ethiopia, with wider geopolitical & security implication to the Red Sea and Horn Region.

TADA UK is calling for the G7 to uphold human rights at the heart of its foreign policy. The G7 postponement of budget support to the Ethiopian Government mustbe upheld until such time the government of Eritrea and Ethiopia allow the UN Investigations Commission and full accountability is restored.

And finally, the G7 should support a comprehensive national dialogue with all segments of the Ethiopian society and all ethnic groups in order to preserve the stability in the region.

EstifanosAbebe
Chairman
TADAUK.org

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