Pan-Africanism or impunity? The divisive Tigray crimes issue (GNN)
Posted: 01 Jan 2022, 15:52
The East African [By AGGREY MUTAMBO ]
When Fijian diplomat Nazhat Shameem, the current President of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC), decides to name the panel of experts to investigate alleged atrocities in Ethiopia, two things may happen: Blanket rejection of the team, denying it cooperation it needs to check violations in the country; or Ethiopia and Africa in general could be isolated on the sensitive issue of who has committed more atrocities in the Tigray war.
The signs were on the wall last week after the Council endorsed a European Union-led proposal to investigate human rights violations in Ethiopia, much to the anger, rejection, and criticism of Addis Ababa and backing from Africa’s members of the HRC.
In the end, the proposal passed, despite lacking a single backing of a vote from Africa. Twenty-one of the 47 members of the Council voted to support the EU proposal fronted by Slovakia.
Divided House
Ten abstentions, including Senegal, Mauritania, Libya, Malawi, and Sudan, refused to block the proposal but may have stayed away from the vote after lobbying from Ethiopia, which had rejected the special sitting that called the vote in the first place.
Also, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Eritrea, Somalia, Gabon and Namibia rejected the proposal and voted No. They were joined by China, India, Pakistan, Russia, Philippines and Venezuela.
Africa’s members refused to support the call for investigations because it could violate Ethiopia’s sovereignty including that a joint investigation between the local human rights commission in Addis with the UN Human Rights office had already concluded no genocide happened, even though it blamed both sides.
“Russia consistently opposes politicisation of the situation in Ethiopia at the HRC. Further promotion of this topic in the HRC is counterproductive and does not contribute to the settlement of the military and political crisis in the country,” said a note from the Russian mission in Geneva, on why it voted no.
“We firmly and consistently reject any imposition of unilateral approaches.”
The African Union’s effort, the efforts of High Representative Olusegun Obasanjo, have failed to see the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) agree to dialogue with the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. In November, Obasanjo told reporters the war was a result of “failed politics in Ethiopia.”
And Dr Abiy, who has racked up crucial victories against the TPLF, has refused to negotiate with “criminals,” instead continued with aerial raids.
This week, Debretsion GebreMichael, TPLF leader wrote to the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres saying his forces had withdrawn from the neighbouring regions in search for peace.
Yet it is what the war has left behind that will be the subject of investigations. Killings, rape, displacements and other violations have been noted on both forces and their allied militia, as well as Eritrean forces. The Panel of three experts is supposed to investigate, preserver evidence for prosecution and identify those to be prosecuted.
“It’s shameful that some African governments would reject a UN investigation of war crimes by all sides in the Ethiopian conflict while doing next to nothing to curtail the slaughter,” said Kenneth Roth, Executive Director for Human Rights Watch.
“That’s not ‘African solutions.’ It’s African abdication,” he charged.
Continue reading https://globenewsnet.com/analysis/pan-a ... mes-issue/
When Fijian diplomat Nazhat Shameem, the current President of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC), decides to name the panel of experts to investigate alleged atrocities in Ethiopia, two things may happen: Blanket rejection of the team, denying it cooperation it needs to check violations in the country; or Ethiopia and Africa in general could be isolated on the sensitive issue of who has committed more atrocities in the Tigray war.
The signs were on the wall last week after the Council endorsed a European Union-led proposal to investigate human rights violations in Ethiopia, much to the anger, rejection, and criticism of Addis Ababa and backing from Africa’s members of the HRC.
In the end, the proposal passed, despite lacking a single backing of a vote from Africa. Twenty-one of the 47 members of the Council voted to support the EU proposal fronted by Slovakia.
Divided House
Ten abstentions, including Senegal, Mauritania, Libya, Malawi, and Sudan, refused to block the proposal but may have stayed away from the vote after lobbying from Ethiopia, which had rejected the special sitting that called the vote in the first place.
Also, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Eritrea, Somalia, Gabon and Namibia rejected the proposal and voted No. They were joined by China, India, Pakistan, Russia, Philippines and Venezuela.
Africa’s members refused to support the call for investigations because it could violate Ethiopia’s sovereignty including that a joint investigation between the local human rights commission in Addis with the UN Human Rights office had already concluded no genocide happened, even though it blamed both sides.
“Russia consistently opposes politicisation of the situation in Ethiopia at the HRC. Further promotion of this topic in the HRC is counterproductive and does not contribute to the settlement of the military and political crisis in the country,” said a note from the Russian mission in Geneva, on why it voted no.
“We firmly and consistently reject any imposition of unilateral approaches.”
The African Union’s effort, the efforts of High Representative Olusegun Obasanjo, have failed to see the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) agree to dialogue with the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. In November, Obasanjo told reporters the war was a result of “failed politics in Ethiopia.”
And Dr Abiy, who has racked up crucial victories against the TPLF, has refused to negotiate with “criminals,” instead continued with aerial raids.
This week, Debretsion GebreMichael, TPLF leader wrote to the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres saying his forces had withdrawn from the neighbouring regions in search for peace.
Yet it is what the war has left behind that will be the subject of investigations. Killings, rape, displacements and other violations have been noted on both forces and their allied militia, as well as Eritrean forces. The Panel of three experts is supposed to investigate, preserver evidence for prosecution and identify those to be prosecuted.
“It’s shameful that some African governments would reject a UN investigation of war crimes by all sides in the Ethiopian conflict while doing next to nothing to curtail the slaughter,” said Kenneth Roth, Executive Director for Human Rights Watch.
“That’s not ‘African solutions.’ It’s African abdication,” he charged.
Continue reading https://globenewsnet.com/analysis/pan-a ... mes-issue/