Sexual violence being used as weapon of war in Ethiopia’s Tigray, says UN
- Girls as young as eight are being targeted, with at least 829 cases of sexual assault reported at five hospitals since the conflict began
- Starvation is also an issue, with one report saying 150 people have died from hunger
Sexual violence is being used as a weapon of war in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, where girls as young as eight are being targeted and some women have reported being gang-raped over several days, UN aid chief Mark Lowcock said on Thursday.
He told the UN Security Council that the humanitarian crisis in Tigray had deteriorated over the past month and the United Nations had not seen any proof that Eritrean soldiers – accused of massacres and killings – have withdrawn.
“To be very clear: the conflict is not over and things are not improving,” Lowcock said, according to his notes for the closed virtual briefing of the 15-member council on Thursday.
The US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said it was time for the Security Council to “speak with one voice” on Tigray.
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What is behind the fighting in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region?
The council has so far been unable to agree on a statement, with Western countries pitted against Russia and China over how to address the situation.