Ethiopian conflict: EU calls for sanctions, deployment of UN peacekeepers to Tigray
General view taken during a debate on the future of EU-US relations as part of a plenary session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France, on October 5, 2021.
The European Parliament on Thursday adopted a resolution demanding the imposition of new sanctions against warring factions in Ethiopia's Tigray region.
The Parliament called for a range of sanctions including arms embargo should parties to the conflict fail to cease hostilities and allow unfettered humanitarian assistance to Tigray.
The 27-point resolution was supported by 618 votes. Fifty eight abstained while four opposed.
Part of the resolution “demands the immediate cessation of hostilities by all parties, which is a prerequisite for much-needed improvements to the humanitarian situation in Tigray and other regions, in particular Afar and Amhara; calls for an immediate return to constitutional order and for the establishment of a ceasefire monitoring mechanism”
The parties cited by the EU Parliament for the sanctions included the Ethiopian government, the Eritrean government, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and those involved in prolonging and the conflict.
Members of the European Parliament called for an immediate end to the conflict and humanitarian crisis in northern Ethiopia.
UN peacekeepers
The resolution also called for the "UN Security Council to consider deploying UN peacekeepers to the region."
The EU Parliament expressed its regrets that the UN Security Council has so far not addressed the situation in Tigray. It urged the EU and its Member States to press the UN Security Council to hold regular public meetings on Tigray and to take decisive action to ensure unhindered humanitarian access.
The parliament condemned the deliberate targeting of innocent civilians by all parties to the conflict and called on neighbouring countries to refrain from political and military interventions that could escalate the conflict.
It further called on the EU Member States to stop exports of arms and surveillance technology to Ethiopia.
Displaced persons
Members of the European Parliament also stressed that the Ethiopian government has a responsibility to ensure the safety of refugees and displaced persons in the region.
The resolution further stated that the 11-month conflict had triggered a human-induced crisis and human suffering.
It urged warring parties to guarantee unfettered access to independent human rights monitors and investigators, including UN and African Union investigators.
The humanitarian situation in Tigray is dire with more than 5 million people, amounting to 90 per cent of the population, in need of emergency humanitarian assistance.
Since the Tigray conflict broke out last November, tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions displaced.
International humanitarian aid organisations are also facing different challenges and hurdles in their efforts to save lives.
At the end of July, Ethiopia suspended the operation of three international humanitarian organisations. Last week, the Ethiopian government expelled seven United Nations officials from the country.
The EU and other donors have urged the Ethiopian authorities to reconsider these decisions and protect humanitarian operations in the country.
