News Highlights: Airstrike on Tigray village market, US and UN condemn Eritrean presence in Tigray, UK scraps pledge for refugee resettlement

In this week’s news highlights: Airstrike in Togoga market kills dozens of civilians; UNHCR reports on refugees and IDPs in Tigray; UNSC calls for stop to sexual violence as a weapon of war in Tigray; US and UN condemn Eritrean presence in Tigray; Ethiopia PM denies starvation in Tigray; 5 Somali teenagers accuse guards of sexual assault at EU-funded detention centre in Libya; The EU discusses the next round of external funds for Ethiopia; EU plans to fund Turkey border control raises concern from MEPs and journalists; British Government scraps numbers and dates for resettling refugees and asylum seekers; Dutch journalist accused and arrested for alleged smuggling in Greece; More than 100 migrants land in the Canary Islands; More than 82 million refugees and IDPs worldwide on World Refugee Day.

For frequent updates about the situation in the Horn, please see the EEPA Horn situation reports.

EEPA is holding its fourth Webinar “The involvement of Eritreans in the war in Tigray”, which is part of the Webinar series “Voices From Tigray”. The Webinar will take place on June 29th, 14:00-16:00 EAT, 13:00-15:00 CET, 07.00-09.00 US Eastern.
The registration link is: https://bit.ly/3qfQ335

News Highlights: Independent reports on chemical weapons entering Tigray, Mass starvation occurring in Tigray, Illegal pushbacks to Libya 

In this week’s news highlights: EEPA webinar discusses the widespread abuse of refugees happening in Tigray; Reports of chemical weapons entering Tigray; International community condemns widespread starvation in Tigray and warn of potential famine in Ethiopia; Ethiopia’s UN envoy stated that Eritrean soldiers will ‘leave soon’; BBC docu-film on the perilous journey of migrants from Ethiopia to Yemen; Human trafficker Tewelde Goitom (Welid) sentenced to 18 years in prison; Alarm Phone reports illegal pushbacks in Libya; Scotland’s Council extends ban on acceptance of refugees; Refugees sentenced to 10 years over Moria fire; Police bust human smuggling ring in North Macedonia; IOM project aims to make migration data more accessible.

Webinar Voices from Tigray: Brutalities against Religious leaders, Holy Places and Heritage in Tigray

On 8 June 2021, the webinar “Brutalities against Religious leaders, Holy Places and Heritage in Tigray Confirmation” took place in the framework of the webinar series “Voices from Tigray”. The aim of this online meeting was to give a platform to testimonies of witnesses, describing the large-scale destruction and looting of cultural and religious heritage that occurred during the conflict in the Tigray region. Furthermore, religious leaders and local priests reported brutalities, atrocities and massacres against civilians, including religious leaders, that took place in holy sites, such as in the Maryam Tsion Church, in the Al-Nejash Mosque and in the Debre Damo monastery. After having listened to various witness testimonies, speakers called on the international community to put pressure on the Ethiopian government to push for the withdrawal of external troops from Tigray, by imposing sanctions; as well as support the reconstruction and recovery of the religious, cultural and historic heritage destroyed and looted during the conflict. Finally, experts reiterated the need for free access of humanitarian aid to the Tigray region.

Webinar proceedings (including all testimonies) can be found here: webinar proceedings.