The United Nations Human Rights Council is expected to will an urgent session on Ethiopia, amid reports of further violence in the Tigray region.
Friday’s session, which was demanded by the European Union, will decide whether to appoint an international team to probe abuses that human rights groups say may amount to war crimes.
It would be recalled that the conflict in Tigray broke out in November last year, when the Ethiopian government sent troops into the region to put down the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, after its fighters captured federal military bases there.
Last month the United Nations, UN produced a 100-page report detailing major violations in Tigray, including the shelling of towns, killing of civilians, and widespread sexual violence.
It would also be recalled that this week Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch complained of mass detention, torture and the forced displacement of large sections of the Tigrayan population.
The European Union says the UN Council has an obligation to prevent further violations, and ensure justice for victims, member of states want the council to appoint international investigators.
