Ethiopia Urges Int’l Community to Increase Support in Tigray

Addis Ababa March 12/2021 (ENA) Permanent Representative of Ethiopia to the United Nations, Taye Atske Selassie urged the international community to augment support to the on-going relief and reconstruction efforts to restore lasting peace and normalcy in Tigray.

In a written statement to the UN Security Council, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Ethiopia to the United Nations, Taye Atske Selassie reiterated Ethiopia's readiness to engage constructively and urged the international community to augment support to "our ongoing relief and reconstruction efforts to restore lasting peace and normalcy in Tigray."

The Ambassador recalled in the statement that on November 04 last year, the TPLF attacked the national army, adding the treasonous crime against the unsuspecting men and women in uniform is not to a magnitude any country faced in recent history.

The Government of Ethiopia had to take the necessary measure to preserve the unity, sovereign and integrity of the state of Ethiopia, according to the Permanent Representative.

The unabashed destructive acts of the criminal group cost Ethiopians a great deal, he said.

“Infrastructures are destroyed and regular private and public life is interrupted. This resulted in a shortage of food in Tigray and adjacent regions and entailed displacement of citizens.”

According to him, the country’s disaster management policy gives primacy to national resources to address humanitarian needs and the government is working closely with local and international partners to fill in the gaps created by resource constraints.

The agreement that had been reached between the government and UN allows unimpeded, sustained and secure access to the humanitarian community, he indicated.  

“We also have an effective coordination mechanism involving the government authorities and humanitarian actors. This is evidenced by the testimonies given by WFP Executive Director David Beasley and the High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grand who visited the region.”

“Taking this opportunity, I would like to relay the gratitude of my Government to the responses given by the international community, including WFP and other UN agencies and governments who stood with the people and Government of Ethiopia at this time of need. I also would like to echo the appeal by our humanitarian partners for more resources to scale up the progress we had thus far” Taye pointed out.

Alleged human rights violations have also been the focus of the international community, Ethiopia’s Representative to the UN said.

Government authorities and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission have and will continue to investigate and report on the status of human rights, he added.

In this respect, he stated “We stand ready to receive assistance and to explore the possibility of collaborations for joint investigations. We unequivocally reaffirm our full commitment to respect and protect human rights and bring perpetrators of violations to justice”.

The government is also committed to ensure transparency and access to information. Accordingly, “We facilitated access to both local and international media to report from the ground”.

The responsible and diligent work of the media is hoped to counter the flurry of disinformation that has been dominating the plat form, it was indicated.

Ambassador Taye reaffirmed Ethiopia’s commitment to spare no effort in fulfilling its solemn responsibility to ensure the safety and well-being of the people. “We are ready and willing to engage with the international community in a constructive manner”, he noted.

 “In this regard” he added, “we reiterate the need to place the global focus on augmenting support to the ongoing relief and reconstruction efforts to restore lasting peace and normalcy”.