(Ecofin Agency) - Rwandan leader, Paul Kagame (pictured) recently called on the Biden administration and the UN Security Council to conduct a direct intervention in the disputed Tigray region in Ethiopia. This was on February 3rd during an interview with Hoover Institution, a Stanford-based library and think tank close to the Republican Party, as part of the Battleground forum.
In this episode on “Rwanda And The African Union: The Promise Of Increased U.S.-Africa Engagement," Paul Kagame discussed the African Union, security in the Great Lakes region, and the future of U.S. diplomatic and economic relations with Rwanda and Africa.
When talking about what is going on in the Tigray region, the Head of State said the situation is too worrisome (especially with the significant death toll) to be handled solely by Ethiopia or the African Union. According to Kagame, who is calling for a direct intervention of the UN Security Council, five reasons support his demand.
First, the likely presence of Eritrean armed forces in the region makes the battle both a civil and international one and therefore within the UN’s remit. Eritrean troops are allegedly implicated in killings and the forcible return of their compatriot refugees. They reportedly set fire to the Shimelba and Hitsats refugee camps. Between 15,000 and 20,000 Eritrean refugees are missing, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
In addition, the Tigray region is now facing a looming famine with 2.3 million people in need of emergency aid. According to figures reported by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 4.5 million people (about 67% of the region’s population) need assistance but the forces of the Ethiopian federal government reportedly obstruct their access to aid and clean water. These forces are also said to be implicated in the destruction of UN food stores and markets.
Furthermore, up to 2 million people are now being internally displaced. Tigray represents a heavy burden for global humanitarian resources, at a time when East Africa’s needs have never been that higher especially because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the locust invasion and food insecurity.
Additionally, the fact that some UN reports and those of other organizations in Tigray mention possible serious violations of the Geneva Conventions and other aspects of international humanitarian law that ban starvation of civilians and collective punishment. Another information point to what could be seen as an ethnic cleansing and genocide led by the State, as well as a “high number of alleged rapes”. Tens of thousands of Tigrayans serving in Ethiopian peacekeeping, security, army, police, and intelligence entities have been fired and sometimes detained.
Finally, Paul Kagame mentioned the fact that Ethiopia is so overwhelmed by the Tigray conflict that it is no longer a source of regional stability and seems to give up on its role of regional peacekeeper. Security tensions and border disputes are multiplying in the region, especially between Ethiopia and Sudan, Kenya and Somalia, with an election-related crisis in Somalia and negotiations over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam increasing the risk of proxy wars. The fragile political transition in Sudan may also be destabilized.
Even worse, the withdrawal of Ethiopian forces from peacekeeping missions in Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan will increase instability. The departure of the Ethiopian AMISOM troops from Somalia could lead to a rise in the power of Al Qaeda-linked Al Shabaab terrorists.
According to the Rwandan President, when a state fails to prevent or curb atrocities, including genocides, crimes against humanity, or war crimes, the UN must intervene. The same applies when the state is the author of such atrocities. He said only the UN Security Council can successfully oppose a government’s deliberate obstruction of humanitarian aid.
The resolution should establish a monitoring and verification commission with a mandate to negotiate, observe, monitor, verify and report on the situation in Tigray. The objectives should be an immediate and definitive cessation of hostilities; the rapid, unconditional, unimpeded, and sustained distribution of aid to all areas of Tigray; the complete withdrawal of all external armed forces and groups; and a ceasefire agreement that can lead to a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
Paul Kagame's stated stance about the conflict in Tigray aligns with that of the new U.S. administration. During his confirmation hearing before the Senate, the new U.S. Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Antony Blinken, announced the appointment of a special envoy for the Horn of Africa region. The objective being for the United States to be more active on issues such as Tigray.
Kagame said there must be better access to the region, more responsibility, restoration of communication, humanitarian aid, and an effort to establish a dialogue to resolve key issues.
While Ethiopia's federal authorities have consistently opposed international involvement in resolving the conflict in Tigray and have been deaf to calls for dialog with the TPLF (the former ruling party in the regional state), the voice of Paul Kagame, who heads a country that suffered genocide in 1994 and is still reeling, could be important in bringing about the pacification of tensions in the regional state.
Borgia Kobri
source https://www.ecofinagency.com/public-man ... -in-tigray