Eritrea: UN Warns of Eritrean Troops’ Continued Abuses in Tigray Amid Impunity, Cites ‘Lack of Political Will’ On Rights Violations in Eritrea

The United Nations has warned that Eritrean troops continue to commit human rights abuses in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, and raised concerns over persisting impunity despite international calls for accountability.

Speaking at the 58th session of the Human Rights Council on 27 February, Ilze Brands-Kehris, Assistant Secretary-General at the UN Human Rights Office, said the Eritrean Defense Forces (EDF) remain in Tigray despite the 2022 Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, which mandated their withdrawal.

She cited the Joint OHCHR-Ethiopia Human Rights Commission Investigation Team in 2023, which documented serious violations by the EDF in Tigray. “This impunity continues to embolden perpetrators of human rights violations,” she added.

The EDF remains in Tigray despite the November 2022 Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, which called for the withdrawal of international forces from Ethiopian territory, Brands-Kehris said . “Our Office has credible information that the Eritrean Defence Forces remain in Tigray,” she said, adding that they are responsible for “abductions, rape, property looting, and arbitrary arrests.” She called for their “immediate withdrawal.”

Several international human rights organizations have documented abuses by Eritrean forces in the Tigray region both during and after the war. In its 2024 annual report, Human Rights Watch cited “ongoing abuses by Eritrean forces,” including “rape, sexual violence against women and girls, and looting of civilian property.”

A previous report by Addis Standard also documented accounts of abductions in Zalambessa, where residents said they are “living in fear” and avoiding going outside after dark due to the presence of Eritrean troops.

The now-defunct International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia (ICHREE) also highlighted the EDF’s continued presence in Tigray, warning in its final report that “without credible accountability for violations and crimes, nothing will stop impunity” and that “there is no deterrence for future atrocity crimes.”

Speaking about Eritrea, Brands-Kehris said that the horn of Africa country has not taken “credible steps to reform its legal and justice systems in line with international standards” or to ensure accountability for human rights violations.