Voices from Tigray: Testimonies of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence against Women in Tigray
26 May 2021

Voices from Tigray: Testimonies of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence against Women in Tigray

by | posted in: Africa, EEPA news and activities, Empowerment, Eritrea, Ethiopia, European Union, Horn of Africa region, Human Rights abuses, United Nations, UNSC | 0

On 25 May 2021, the webinar “Conflict-Related Sexual Violence against Women in Tigray” took place in the framework of webinar series “Voices from Tigray”. The aim of this online meeting was to give a platform to testimonies of witnesses, describing the atrocities that occurred in the conflict in the Tigray region. The meeting was chaired by Hon. Julia Duncan-Cassell, former Minister of Gender in Liberia. International experts discussed the consequences of rape and gender-based violence on Tigray women and girls and the implication of soldiers, particularly Eritreans, in these crimes In conclusion, experts called for peace in the Horn of Africa and an end to the violence and discrimination of the civil population. The meeting’s main outcomes included calls for all foreign troops, particularly Eritreans, to withdraw from Ethiopia; referral of Eritrea to the International Criminal Court; and immediate cessation by all parties of rape as a weapon of war. 

News Highlights: Famine and sexual violence “weapons of war” in Tigray, Tigray hospital raided in retribution, EU criticised over ‘chain pushbacks’
21 May 2021

News Highlights: Famine and sexual violence “weapons of war” in Tigray, Tigray hospital raided in retribution, EU criticised over ‘chain pushbacks’

by | posted in: Africa, Asylum Seekers, Coast guards, COVID-19, Deportation, Detention, Eritrea, Eritrean Women, EU funding, European Commission, European Parliament, European Politics, European Union, Forced labour, Frontex, Horn of Africa region, Human Rights abuses, Human Trafficking, Italy, Libya, Médecins Sans Frontières, Mediterranean Sea, Migration, Protest, Refugee Camps, Refugees in the EU, Search and Rescue Operations, Sexual abuse, Starvation, Trafficking | 0

In this week’s news highlights: Alex de Waal says Tigray famine is systematic and used as weapon of war by Eritrean and Ethiopian troops; Famine in Tigray surges to highest emergency levels; Ethiopian soldiers stormed Aksum hospital in retaliation to CNN report; Rape used as an act of genocide in Tigray – Webinar; People in Tigray rural areas still cut off from essentials, says MSF; A religious humanitarian worker confirms atrocities in Tigray; NYT reporter expelled from Ethiopia; Eritrea diasporic communities have complex interaction with Eritrean politics – journal; Refugees die off Tunisian coast; Report heavily condemns “inhumane” prosed EU migration pact; Thousands illegally pushed back by EU states, including chain pushbacks, says DRC; Thousands of migrants and refugees enter in Spanish enclave of Ceuta; EU seeks a migration deal with Tunisia and Libya; New EU migration pact “inhumane” and Italian former Interior Minister will not stand to trial in Gregoretti inquiry; UNHCR warns against “externalisation” of refugees; The UNHCR High Commissioner asks not to abandon LGBTIQ+ refugees.

News Highlights: Eritrean troops block aid in Tigray, 2000 people land in Italy in 24 hours, Greek refugee camp “inhuman” conditions
12 May 2021

News Highlights: Eritrean troops block aid in Tigray, 2000 people land in Italy in 24 hours, Greek refugee camp “inhuman” conditions

by | posted in: Africa, Eritrea, Ethiopia, European Union, Horn of Africa region, Libya, Migration, Refugees in the EU, Weekly news highlights | 0

In this week’s news highlights: CNN report states Eritrean soldiers still in Tigray, blocking key aid routes; US Special Envoy Jeffrey Feltman visits Horn of Africa; Oromia authorities detaining adults and children with no charges; Ethiopian peacekeepers of Tigray origin seek asylum in Sudan; The Telegraph: leaked church letter states Ethiopian and Eritrean troops massacred priests and other church staff in Tigray; Japan-IOM joint project to support IDPs, refugees and vulnerable communities in Sudan; 5 migrants drowned and 23 missing off the coast of Libya, 700 returned; More than 2000 migrants landed in Lampedusa (Italy) in less than 24 hours; 70 migrants rescued off the coast of Malta; Allegations of severe abuse and misidentification by Greek and Frontex authorities in Greece; Joint meeting between the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs; EU and UNHCR reject UK asylum seekers relocation plan.