Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) Press Release – 05/02/2021

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ADDIS ABABA: SITUATION OF PRISONERS ON HUNGER STRIKE

The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has deployed a monitoring mission to Kaliti Correctional Facility and Kilinto Prison to monitor the situation of defendants in Jawar Mohammed et al case, who have remained on hunger strike since January 27, 2021, and other prisoners. The Commission’s team visited the said prisons on February 2, 2021 to investigate the current situation of the prisoners on hunger strike and the treatment of Colonel Gemechu Ayana and Tilahun Yemi. EHRC’s monitoring team also talked with the prison administration of both facilities and the prisoners.

During the Commission’s visit to Kaliti Correctional Facility on February 2, 2021, Jawar Mohammed, Bekele Gerba, Hamza Adane (Borena) and Shemsedin Taha had been on hunger strike since January 27, 2021. The prisoners informed EHRC that the purpose thereof is to “protest the government’s suppression and violation of rights of people and their party; to ask for a stop to the harassment and ill treatment of Colonel Gemechu Ayana and to demand that the mistreatment and imprisonment of the visitors and relatives who attend their hearings and visit them in prison.”

The Kaliti Correctional Facility administration on its part told EHRC that “most of the demands listed as reasons for the hunger strike are beyond the remit of the administration.” Adding that the administration does not mistreat the prisoners’ visitors, it explained that two of the prisoners on hunger strike are receiving close medical supervision because they have a prior health condition which requires regular medication. The Commission’s team was able to confirm the provision of said medical monitoring.

EHRC has also visited Colonel Gemechu Ayana and Tilahun Yemi, the safety and security of both of whom was said to be in danger in relation with a video footage filmed from inside prison and circulated on social media. Both of the prisoners are in good health and have suffered no bodily injury. However, Colonel Gemechu Ayana expressed his dismay to the Commission with regards to the harassment he has suffered by being transferred to various holding areas (zones) several times. He also said that he was moved from the holding area (zone) he was in before “to another one that puts his safety at risk”.

The prison administration says that prisoners are regularly moved from one holding area (zone) to another and that there are other prisoners in the same area (zone) as Colonel Gemechu. During the visit, the Commission found one prisoner who had indicated being moved to the area (zone) for breaking prison rules.
Kaliti Prison Administration was preparing to move Colonel Gemechu Ayana to another holding area following EHRC’s recommendations in this regard, when the Federal High Court at a hearing on February 3, 2021, ordered for the prisoner to be returned to Kilinto noting that the prisoner’s transfer to Kaliti did not follow due process. The Commission has confirmed the transfer by visiting the prisoner on February 4, 2021.

EHRC has also investigated the treatment of Tilahun Yemi, detained on suspicion of assassinating musician Hachalu Hundessa. The prisoner is in good health and has told the Commission that he has not been beaten or otherwise suffered any rights violations in Kilinto. However, he told the Commission that he was mistreated during his detention in a police station.

With regards to the prisoners in Kaliti Correctional Facility who are on a hunger strike, EHRC Chief Commissioner Daniel Bekele said that “very close supervision is required to prevent any grave threat to their health and life and that reasonably justified demands of the prisoners must be addressed.” He added that “during visits to prisons or attending court hearings visitors must be treated properly.”

Statement by the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide on the situation in Ethiopia, February 2021

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OFFICIAL STATEMENT | The United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Ms. Alice Wairimu Nderitu, is alarmed by the continued escalation of ethnic violence in Ethiopia and allegations of serious violations of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights in the Tigray region.

The Special Adviser has received reports of serious human rights violations and abuses, committed by the parties to the conflict in the Tigray region and their allies. These include extrajudicial killings, sexual violence, looting of property, mass executions and impeded humanitarian access. Ms. Nderitu reiterated the call by the Secretary-General for continued urgent steps to alleviate the humanitarian situation and extend the necessary protection to those at risk. The Special Adviser further urged the Government of Ethiopia to restore the rule of law and public order in the region and called for an independent and impartial investigation into the allegations of serious violations and abuses of human rights committed.

The Special Adviser has also received disturbing reports of attacks against civilians based on their religion and ethnicity as well as serious allegations of human rights violations and abuses including arbitrary arrests, killings, rape, displacement of populations and destruction of property in various parts of the country. These are in addition to reported acts of hate speech and stigmatization including, ethnic profiling against some ethnic communities, notably, the Tigray, Amhara, Somali, and Oromo.

“The deep-seated divisions have reportedly led to imposition of travel restrictions on citizens based on their ethnicity, while ethnically motivated hate speech continues to spread on social media with calls for the exclusion of those perceived not to be original inhabitants of certain ethnic regions,” the Special Adviser stated.

A failure to address ethnic violence, stigmatization, hate speech, religious tensions compounded with other risk factors, including a culture of impunity and lack of accountability for serious violations committed, perpetuates an environment that exposes the civilian population to a high risk of atrocity crimes, the Special Adviser concluded.

Ms. Nderitu called on the Ethiopian authorities to establish national mechanisms to address the root causes of ethnic violence, build national cohesion and promote reconciliation. The Office of the Special Adviser as a focal point for the UN Strategy on Hate Speech stands ready when requested, to support Ethiopia to put in place mechanisms to address and counter hate speech, which is one of the key indicators for the risk of atrocity crimes.

The Special Adviser concluded that if urgent measures are not immediately taken to address the ongoing challenges facing the country, the risk of atrocity crimes in Ethiopia remains high and likely to get worse.

SOURCE: Office of the UN Special Advisers on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect

Uro i Etiopia: krig, sult og etnisk vold — NRK

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FN bekymret for etnisk vold

FN advarer mot økningen av etnisk vold i Etiopia og uttrykker bekymring for anklager om krigsforbrytelser i krigsherjede Tigray. Det meldes om seksuelle forbrytelser, plyndring, massehenrettelser og blokkering av humanitær hjelp, opplyser FN

50 etiopiske soldater drept

Minst 50 etiopiske soldater er drept i sammenstøt med sudanske styrker i grenseområdet mellom de to landene, ifølge nyhetsbyrået DPA. En sudansk soldat skal også ha blitt drept. Sudans hær har ifølge kildene gjenerobret landområder og en militærleir.

FN slår alarm om sult i Tigray

Livet for sivile i Etiopias krigsherjede Tigray-provins er ekstremt urovekkende, fastslår FN i en rapport. Pågående krigføring gjør det vanskelig å få inn nødhjelp til millioner av mennesker, skriver FN.

 

(NRK)

Fellesrådet avlyste Afrika-webinar etter trusler mot innlederne

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©Bistandsaktuelt | Trusler og trakassering av innledere førte til at Fellesrådet for Afrika onsdag avlyste et webinar som skulle ha fokus på den store vannkraftutbyggingen i Etiopia.

– Vi måtte prioritere innledernes egen sikkerhet og opplevelse av situasjonen. I utgangspunktet mener vi det er viktig å stå i stormen og diskutere saker selv der det er stor uenighet, men her opplevde vi at vi ikke hadde noe valg, sier daglig leder i Fellesrådet for Afrika, Aurora Nereid til Bistandsaktuelt.

Hun mener det er alvorlig når trusler påvirker rommet for ytringsfrihet i Norge.

– At sivilsamfunnsaktører får operere fritt er et viktig prinsipp, og det er skremmende når dette rommet innskrenkes. Det er bekymringsfullt, sier Nereid.

«Vi forstår at noen emner er sensitive, men det er aldri noen grunn til å true eller trakassere folk som offentlig uttaler seg om en sak. Vi håper i framtiden å kunne ha en mer nyansert samtale som dette emnet,» skrev Fellesrådet for Afrika på Facebook om det avlyste webinaret de skulle arrangere sammen med YATA Oslo en organisasjon for studenter, kadetter og unge yrkesaktive.

– Vi ser svært alvorlig på at det rettes trusler mot meningsmotstandere. Det er svært beklagelig at Fellesrådet for Afrika har måttet avlyse en planlagt debatt grunnet trusler mot innledere og arrangør. Arrangementene er en svært viktig arena for saklig og innsiktsfull debatt om Afrika og jeg har selv satt stor pris på disse debattene, sier statssekretær Jens Frølich Holte i Utenriksdepartementet.

Han sier til Bistandsaktuelt at Utenriksdepartementet er ikke kjent med innholdet i truslene eller hvem som har framsatt dem og er i kontakt med Fellesrådet for Afrika for å mer informasjon.

– Alvorlige trusler som fremsettes på sosial media bør vurderes anmeldt til politiet. Saken illustrerer imidlertid behovet for å fortsatt ta opp bekymringer for ytringsfrihet og retorikk med etiopiske myndigheter, sier Frølich Holte.

Omstridt kraftprosjekt

Arrangementet skulle diskutere vannkraftutbyggingen Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam i Etiopia som bygges på Blånilen. Utbyggingen har vært kontroversiell og har skapt diplomatiske spenninger mellom Etiopia, Sudan og Egypt. Også andre land i regionen er blitt trukket inn i striden.

Innlederne skulle være senioranalytiker Rashid Abdi ved Horn of Africa Crisis Group, professor Kjetil Tronvoll ved Bjørknes høyskole og Adel El-Adawy, direktør ved Cairo Center for African Studies.

Både Rashid Abdi og Tronvoll fikk direkte trusler på e-post og twitter. På twitter og facebook kom det «massive» angrep mot alle innlederne med svært grove påstander, samt mot Fellesrådet som organisasjon. Rashid Abdi, som bor i Nairobi, er den som følte seg mest direkte truet.

– Trusler har jeg måtte leve med i alle år. I 25 år fikk jeg trusler fra folk tilknyttet Tigrayfolkets frigjøringsfront (TPLF) og andre. Men det er blitt mer intenst med framveksten av sosiale medier, sier Tronvoll til Bistandsaktuelt.

«Joda, det er en betent utenrikspolitisk disputt mellom Etiopia på den ene siden og Egypt/Sudan på den andre ved kontroll av vannet i Nilen. Men, er den så viktig at det skulle føre til drapstrusler og andre anklager mot innlederne?» spør Tronvoll i et innlegg på gruppen Afrika-interesserte på Facebook.

Da han som forsker var observatør under det omstridte valget i Tigray-provinsen i Etiopia i september i fjor ble han utsatt for både trusler og en hatkampanjer. Da krigen om Tigray begynte i november økte presset.

Hatytringer

Fellesrådet arrangerte et møte om konflikten i Tigray før jul. For å vise bredden i det som skjer i Tigray hadde de et panel på hele seks ulike deltakere. I forkant av dette arrangementet fikk organisasjonen kritikk og tilbakemeldinger på at arrangementet ikke var nyansert nok. Under selve paneldebatten opplevde paneldeltakerne tydelige hatytringer i chat feltet, noe som førte til at denne måtte stenges.

– Vi opplever rommet for å diskutere konflikten er svært begrenset. Man blir enten tatt til inntekt for å støtte den sittende regjeringen eller for å være tilhenger av TPLF. Det er synd, da konstruktive nyanser hva gjelder det som skjer i Tigray ikke kommer frem, sier Nereid.

Tronvoll mener at de som har kommet med truslene er etiopiske nasjonalister og amhara aktivister.

– I Etiopia i dag er det krig og en av verdens største pågående humanitære katastrofer i Tigray, hvor flere hundretusen mennesker er på randen av sultedød. Alle som prøver å analysere eller nyansere dette bilde, blir sett på som fiender av den sittende regjering, og statsminister og Nobel fredsprisvinner Abiy Ahmed, sier Tronvoll.

Bistandsaktuelt har tidligere omtalt dødstrusler rettet mot den norske Etiopia-forskeren, som blant annet har forskningssamarbeide med både tigrayiske og andre etiopiske forskningsmiljløer. Før jul ble både han og andre forskere dessuten direkte truet av sjefen for etterretningstjenesten i Etiopia.

– Tirsdag sendte Abiy Ahmed ut en uttalelse hvor han oppfordret sine tilhengere i landet og i diasporaen til å slå tilbake mot alle som kritiserer landet og hans regjering, sier Tronvoll.

Sak for UD?

Han mener dette er en sak Utenriksdepartementet må ta tak i.

– Dette må være UDs anliggende når en fremmed makt truer norske borgere direkte og forsøker å undergrave ytringsfriheten i Norge, sier Tronvoll.

På facebook skriver han: «At aktivister oppmuntret av regjeringen i et av Norges samarbeidslands greier å begrense ytringsfriheten her i landet – er bemerkelsesverdig. Jeg håper at UD og Justisdepartementet vil ta i denne problemstillingen med det alvor det forlanger.»

Fellesrådet har siden oktober i fjor hatt en dialog med UD om truslene og hatytringene.

– Det er viktig at UD følger med på saken, sier Nereid.

Det er ikke første gang Etiopia-arrangementer skaper konfrontasjoner. I mars 2018 ble en filmvisning under en kvinnefestival i Bergen forsøkt stanset av norsketiopiske demonstranter og politiet ble tilkalt. Filmen handlet om en årlig kvinnefest i Tigray i det nordlige Etiopia.

UD skriver i en kommentar til Bistandsaktuelt at ytringsfrihet har høy prioritet i Norges internasjonale innsats for menneskerettigheter og demokrati: “I forbindelse med konflikten i Tigray har vi dessverre sett at meningsmotstandere møtes med trusler og at ytringsfrihet begrenses på andre måter gjennom arrestasjon, utvisning eller trakassering av journalister og analytikere. Utenriksminister Ine Eriksen Søreide har gitt utrykk for bekymring for hatspråk og tatt opp respekt for menneskerettighetene.”

UD understreker at ambassaden i Addis Abeba har tatt opp bekymringer for ytringsfrihetens vilkår, mediefrihet og akademiske frihet med etiopiske myndigheter.

FN slår alarm om sult i Tigray

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ABC Nyheter | Livet for sivile i Etiopias krigsherjede Tigray-provins er ekstremt urovekkende, fastslår FN i en rapport.

Pågående krigføring gjør det vanskelig å få inn nødhjelp til millioner av mennesker, skriver FN i rapporten. Det fastslås også at sultsituasjonen i regionen forverrer seg.

Etiopiske regjeringsstyrker innledet i november i fjor en stor offensiv for å ta kontrollen over Tigray-regionen fra provinsmyndighetene som var dominert av Tigray-folkets frigjøringsfront (TPLF).

Internasjonale hjelpeorganisasjoner har bedt om bedre tilgang til regionen. Statsminister Abiy Ahmed sa i desember at hjelpearbeidere skulle få uhindret adgang til de regjeringskontrollerte områdene, men det har senere blitt klaget på at man mangler tilgang til et stort antall mennesker.

(NTB)

In Ethiopia’s digital battle over the Tigray region, facts are casualties

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The Washingtonpost | Alexi Drew and Claire Wilmot | Claims about disinformation may be undermining online activism.

Nearly three months have passed since the conflict between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) began. Despite Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s assurance that the military operation ended in late November, the conflict in Tigray is far from over. U.N. officials this week cited reports that Ethiopian troops may not have the region under their command, and warned of grave food shortages, calling for the government to allow aid workers to enter the region.

On social media, pro- and anti-government groups continue to vie for control of the conflict narrative. Abiy released a statement on Feb. 2 encouraging Ethiopians to launch an offensive against the TPLF’s distortions and “lies” in the international arena. Our analysis of over 500,000 tweets related to Tigray helps explain the intensifying information conflict.

We collected and analyzed tweets between Nov. 4 and Jan. 20 to try to understand the kinds of information being circulated, and the effects of different messaging campaigns. We found that both sides are quick to accuse the other of spreading intentionally false information — though actual disinformation accounts for a surprisingly small proportion of tweets about the conflict.

Ethiopia’s conflict continues online

Knowing what’s really going on in Tigray’s conflict is difficult, given a communications blackout in much of the region. The government has also not allowed humanitarian access to areas that reportedly have experienced atrocities or are in urgent need of assistance. It is in this opaque information environment that people have taken to Twitter.

Pro-Tigray activism online

#StandWithTigray is a central source of activism for pro-Tigray campaigns. Its website shares instructions for using Twitter, along with pre-written content for followers to share. Their online presence can broadly be divided into three categories: “old” and “new” activist accounts; and accounts with opaque credentials.

“Old” activist accounts are largely based in Ethiopia, Europe and North America. Although their activism does not necessarily predate the conflict, their Twitter accounts often do. They demonstrate a high degree of digital literacy, posting lots of original content and engaging with other users.

“New” activist accounts were created throughout the conflict. We found over 3,000 such accounts between November and the end of January. These accounts demonstrate a low level of digital literacy, few followers and short-term engagement.

Accounts with opaque credentials claim expertise or positions aimed at boosting their credibility. They claim to be academics or aid workers but have little or no online presence beyond Twitter, making their credentials difficult to verify. These accounts may be problematic because they can obtain significant “reach” based on unsubstantiated claims.

Do these tweets contain disinformation and misinformation?

Our analysis showed that the majority of content produced by the #StandWithTigray campaign is digital activism, which seeks to raise international awareness about the conflict. The #StandwithTigray campaign is organized similarly to many other social justice campaigns on social media. Pre-written tweets build momentum around hashtags and connect to potential influencers like foreign officials, U.N. agencies or foreign ministries. This is a standard approach for activists, who usually don’t have the resources to employ the kinds of PR firms that many governments rely on to manage information (and disinformation) strategies.

It’s important to distinguish between disinformation, which is the intentional spread of false or misleading information, and misinformation, which is unintentional. When false claims could be read as intentional — like when TPLF leader Debretsion Gebremichael reported that Ethiopian forces had bombed the Tekeze dam — it’s often tough to verify information because of communications blackouts or limited physical access. Most who go on to spread that information have no means of verifying what they are sharing. Combating the spread of false information would require opening access to all areas of Tigray.

Pro-government information campaigns

The government has the advantage of being able to channel strategic messages through high-profile or official government accounts with very large followings. This means they are able to spread information widely without relying heavily on new accounts or copy-and-paste campaigns.

Pro-government online activism tends to be more responsive than proactive. The #UnityForEthiopia website, which appeared in response to #StandWithTigray, similarly includes instructions for creating Twitter accounts and has a repository of pre-written tweets. We found that new accounts created between November and January were responsible for 30 percent of all #UnityForEthiopia tweets during the two most active days of the campaign — Jan. 1 and Jan. 6.

A blurry information environment

By blocking communications and access to Tigray, the government helped create conditions where disinformation and misinformation can thrive. At the start of the military incursion into Tigray, pro-government accounts and government officials warned of a “Digital Woyane,” a TPLF-funded effort to undermine government actions in the region. In December, Ethiopia’s Information Network Security Agency claimed that the TPLF was producing over 20,000 tweets containing disinformation daily — a finding that is not supported by our data set. This narrative gained significant traction, with pro-government activists labeling almost all tweets about potential government wrongdoing as TPLF-funded disinformation.

The government’s State of Emergency Fact Check account, for example, responded to examples of misinformation spread by pro-Tigray accounts by issuing corrective statements, co-opting the work of independent fact-checkers. The government’s strategy seems to be to aimed at undermining the credibility of its critics, while sometimes combating pro-Tigray campaigns with their own campaigns.

What’s really happening in Tigray?

People come to digital activism with a wide range of interests and objectives — many want to raise awareness and advocate for solutions, while others may be trying to mislead or pursue political agendas. It’s clear that both sides in the Tigray conflict are using social media to sway global public opinion about the situation in the region, but very little independent information is emerging from Tigray at present. Currently, pro-Tigray campaigners have started spreading the hashtag #AllowAccessToTigray.

Our data so far does not support government claims that pro-Tigray Twitter campaigns are spreading significant amounts of disinformation, at least not on Twitter, the focus of our study. Pro-Tigray campaigns do produce higher volumes of tweets, which helps compete with the legitimacy and reach of government accounts. Government accounts, with their higher reach, can reframe tweets containing misinformation as intentional disinformation, undermining pro-Tigray campaigns.

Like everyone else, the government has the right to contest inaccurate claims, and may have reason to fear the spread of false information in this conflict. However, curtailing access to Tigray means that reliable evidence is scarce.

Increasingly troubling reports of humanitarian emergencies and international law violations are emerging from Tigray. As both sides seek to amplify their narratives, the importance of access and independent verification increases.

Dr. Alexi Drew is a research associate at the Policy Institute at Kings College London, an associate fellow at the Global Network on Extremism and Technology (GNET), and an executive manager at the European Cyber Conflict Research Initiative. Follow her on Twitter @CyberAlexi.

Claire Wilmot is a PhD candidate at the London School of Economics and a research officer at the UK Research and Innovation’s GCRF Gender, Justice and Security Hub. Follow her on Twitter @claireLwilmot.

Ethiopia Faces a New Crisis

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Bloomberg | First there was a war, now Ethiopia faces a debt crisis.

The nation’s request to restructure its external debt under a Group-of-20 program highlights how much circumstances have changed for the country and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in just over a year.

In 2019, Abiy won the Nobel Peace Prize for ending two decades of conflict with Eritrea. After coming to power in 2018, he was hailed for pledging to open up the economy and create more space for democratic expression.

The coronavirus outbreak and a war with the rebellious Tigray region, have stifled that. Little progress has been made on privatization, and civilian casualties and displacement in Tigray has seen the leader of one of Africa’s fastest growing economies condemned internationally.

Now the country is worried about meeting its debt obligations and its announcement that it’s discussing liabilities with official lenders has sparked panic among private creditors. The country’s Eurobonds plunged the most on record last week.

“The World Bank has stepped in to fill the gap” in the past, said Mark Bohlund, a senior credit research analyst at REDD Intelligence. That’s “become more politically challenging in the wake of alleged human-rights abuses committed during the war in Tigray,” he said.

For now, there isn’t an immediate way out for Abiy.

The coronavirus has slashed demand for the country’s horticulture and textile exports and tourism has ground to a halt.

The war, which threatens to drag on in the form of guerrilla resistance, hasn’t helped.

UN still hoping for humanitarian access to Tigray

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UN (US) (AFP) | Every member of the UN Security Council called for increased aid during a closed-door meeting Wednesday to discuss the humanitarian situation in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, according to diplomats.

The meeting had been requested by Ireland, Estonia, France, Norway, Britain and the United States.

“Everyone said there should be more humanitarian access,” one diplomat said under condition of anonymity, though no official statement was released after the discussions.

There was never meant to be a declaration passed, according to the same diplomat, though another said the idea was abandoned because African members of the council had said they would refuse to vote for one, deeming it unproductive.

Meetings on the situation in Tigray have been few and far between since the Ethiopian military operation began in November, with African countries in particular preferring to treat the conflict as a domestic matter.

But Western powers have argued that the influx of refugees into neighboring Sudan was a humanitarian crisis requiring international intervention.

The Security Council also failed to produce a declaration after other closed-door meetings on November 24 and December 14.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in mid-December announced two deals with Ethiopian authorities that should have allowed access to the country.

But opportunities to deliver aid remain fragile, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Wednesday.

“Very little is being allowed in,” he said.

“What we need is to be able to just get in there in an unfettered manner without having to, I guess, negotiate for every truck, for every box.”

“We work cooperatively with the government, and it’s their country … we have to go through them, and that’s the way it should be,” Dujarric said.

“But there is a grave humanitarian need in Tigray, and at this point, we’re not able to reach the people that need to be reached.”

High-level UN figures visited Ethiopia this week, including the high commissioner for refugees Filippo Grandi and UN undersecretary-general Gilles Michaud — while a visit from World Food Program chief David Beasley is expected in the coming days, according to diplomats — to try to gain access to refugee camps.

Akshaya Kumar of the NGO Human Rights Watch said: “The Security Council should hold a public session followed by a strong resolution demanding an end to aid obstruction and immediate investigation of war crimes” in Ethiopia.

UN: Situation in Ethiopia’s Tigray now ‘extremely alarming

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NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Life for civilians in Ethiopia’s embattled Tigray region has become “extremely alarming” as hunger grows and fighting remains an obstacle to reaching millions of people with aid, the United Nations says in a new report.

The conflict that has shaken one of Africa’s most powerful and populous countries — a key U.S. security ally in the Horn of Africa — has killed thousands of people and is now in its fourth month. But little is known about the situation for most of Tigray’s 6 million people, as journalists are blocked from entering, communications are patchy and many aid workers struggle to obtain permission to enter.

One challenge is that Ethiopia may no longer control up to 40% of the Tigray region, the U.N. Security Council was told in a closed-door session this week. Ethiopia and allied fighters have been pursuing the now-fugitive Tigray regional government that once dominated Ethiopia’s government for nearly three decades.

Now soldiers from Eritrea are deeply involved on the side of Ethiopia, even as Addis Ababa denies their presence. Eritrea on Friday rejected “false and presumptive allegations” after the U.S. Embassy there posted a statement online about the need for Eritrean forces to leave.

On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was the latest to pressure Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed directly, urging the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize winner in a phone call to allow “immediate, full and unhindered” aid access to Tigray before more people die.

Abiy’s brief statement on the call didn’t mention Tigray. Neither did his statements on calls this week with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel as European countries also express concern over one of the world’s newest crisis zones. Neighboring Sudan and Somalia could be sucked in, experts have warned.

The new U.N. humanitarian report released late Thursday includes a map showing most of the Tigray region marked as “inaccessible” for humanitarian workers. It says the security situation remains “volatile and unpredictable” more than two months after Abiy’s government declared victory.

The aid response remains “drastically inadequate” with little access to the vast rural population off the main roads, the report says, even as Ethiopia’s government has said well over 1 million people in Tigray have been reached with assistance. Some aid workers have reported having to negotiate access with a range of armed actors, even Eritrean ones.

Civilians have suffered. “Reports from aid workers on the ground indicate a rising in acute malnutrition across the region,” the new report says. “Only 1 percent of the nearly 920 nutrition treatment facilities in Tigray are reachable.”

Starvation has become a major concern. “Many households are expected to have already depleted their food stocks, or are expected to deplete their food stocks in the next two months,” according to a new report posted Thursday by the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, which is funded and managed by the U.S.

The report said more parts of central and eastern Tigray likely will enter Emergency Phase 4, a step below famine, in the coming weeks.

Health care in the region is “alarmingly limited,” with just three of Tigray’s 11 hospitals functioning and nearly 80% of health centers not functional or accessible, the U.N. report says. Aid workers have said many health centers have been looted, hit by artillery fire or destroyed.

Large parts of two camps that once hosted thousands of refugees from nearby Eritrea have been systematically destroyed, according to analysis of satellite images by the U.K.-based DX Open Network nonprofit. Now some 5,000 of the refugees who have made their way to the community of Shire “are living in dire conditions, many sleeping in an open field on the outskirts of the town, with no water and no food,” the U.N. report says.

Visiting U.N. refugee chief Filippo Grandi this week urged Ethiopia to allow access for independent investigators to probe alleged widespread human rights abuses, calling the overall situation in Tigray “extremely grave.”

US urges Ethiopia’s PM to allow ‘immediate’ help to Tigray

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NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a call with Ethiopia’s prime minister on Thursday expressed “grave concern” about the crisis in the embattled Tigray region and urged “immediate, full and unhindered humanitarian access to prevent further loss of life,” a U.S. spokesman said.

There was no immediate comment from Ethiopian officials.

The call is the latest this week that world leaders have held with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed as Ethiopia faces growing pressure to open Tigray to journalists, independent investigators and far more humanitarian aid.

The Tigray conflict, which has entered its fourth month, remains largely in the shadows. Thousands of people have been killed as Ethiopian and allied forces fight those of the now-fugitive Tigray government that once dominated the country’s government for nearly three decades. Most of the population of 6 million need emergency aid.

Abiy also has spoken this week with the French president and German chancellor, whose governments have expressed similar wishes on opening up Tigray.

Starvation has become a major concern in Tigray. “Many households are expected to have already depleted their food stocks, or are expected to deplete their food stocks in the next two months,” according to a new report by the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, which is funded and managed by the U.S.

The report posted Thursday says more parts of central and eastern Tigray likely will enter Emergency Phase 4, a step below famine, in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, the United Nations humanitarian chief has privately told the U.N. Security Council that Ethiopia may not have control of up to 40% of the territory in Tigray and does not have full command of forces from neighboring Eritrea operating there.

Details of the briefing by Mark Lowcock were shared by diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity because Wednesday’s meeting was a closed-door one.

Available information indicates that Ethiopia’s government now controls 60% to 80% of the territory in Tigray, Lowcock told diplomats. And some of the forces that sided with Ethiopian ones earlier in the conflict are reportedly now pursuing their own goals, he said.

Ethiopia’s government has denied the presence of soldiers from Eritrea, a bitter enemy of the former Tigray leaders, but witnesses have described widespread looting, killing and other abuses.

“Eritrean forces are almost everywhere in Tigray,” one man who managed to travel from northern Tigray to the regional capital, Mekele, told The Associated Press this week. He described widespread looting of health centers and people dying from lack of care, with little to no communication or transport links to rural areas. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of concerns for family members.

A senior official in the interim Tigray government, Mesfin Desalegn, in an interview with the pro-government Abbay Media outlet this week said Eritrean soldiers had entered the conflict “to destroy” the Tigray forces, “but it should have been managed. It should have been controlled.”

People have been “massacred,” he said, describing an atmosphere of “complete vengefulness.” He called for the Eritrean forces to “cease what they are doing.”

The U.S. last month told the AP it had pressed senior Eritrean officials for the immediate withdrawal of their forces from Tigray. The U.S. did not say how Eritrea, one of the world’s most secretive nations, responded. Eritrea’s information minister in recent days has denounced “frenzied defamation campaigns.”

The fighting in Tigray has the potential to destabilize other parts of Ethiopia, Africa’s second-most populous country and the anchor of the Horn of Africa, as security forces are deployed to the region, the U.N. humanitarian chief told the Security Council.

Lowcock also said the U.N. has received reports that food is scarce in markets mainly because it was harvest time when the conflict began. Main supply routes remain cut, cash is scarce and some people are reportedly eating leaves to survive.

Ethiopia’s government has said it is reaching more and more people with aid, and it has privately told Biden administration officials that life is returning to “normalcy.”