EU officials confirmed to EURACTIV on Thursday (November 5) that the EU is prepared to impose sanctions on those responsible for the war and humanitarian crisis in Tigray Province, Ethiopia.
EU Chief Diplomat Josep Borrell said in a statement: “The EU is still prepared to use all its foreign policy tools, including restrictive measures, to promote peace, comply with international humanitarian law and human rights law, and help end conflicts. .”
EU Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Peter Stano confirmed to EURACTIV that this will include the possibility of imposing sanctions under the EU’s human rights sanctions regime, which is similar to the US Global Magnitsky Act.
Some major Western countries are considering sanctions.
The sanctions regime signed by US President Joe Biden covers those responsible for prolonging the conflict in northern Ethiopia, violating human rights and obstructing humanitarian access, and will now be implemented.
Officials said this would include travel bans and asset freezes for ministers, military commanders and regional authorities, as well as restrictions on aid and aid, and prohibitions on arms sales to Eritrea or Ethiopia.
The European Commission confirmed that at the same time, although there are still difficulties in providing assistance to those in need, the EU will continue to provide humanitarian assistance.
According to estimates by the United Nations World Food Program, more than 400,000 people in Tigray are living in famine, and one hundred trucks are needed every day to meet critical humanitarian needs.
The World Food Program estimates that more than 13 million people are currently food insecure in Ethiopia due to conflicts affecting food production and supply.
In addition to diplomatic threats, Borel also proposed a potential olive branch to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abi Ahmed. The EU’s chief diplomat stated that Ethiopia is a “long-term partner of the EU” and added that the EU “supports Ethiopia’s stability, unity and territorial integrity”.
In November last year, Abi launched a military operation after rebels from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front in the northern province of the country attacked the military base where the government forces are located.
However, one year after promising a three-week operation, there is no sign of military victory for the rebels, and fighting has intensified in recent weeks.
The recent escalation of fighting in the Amhara region, the military advancements of the TPLF and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), and the Ethiopian Air Force’s aerial bombardment of the main town of Merkel in Tigray may turn the war into a truly national war. conflict.
The European Union has responded to the blockade of Tigray by blocking $107 million in budget support, and Stano confirmed that support for Ethiopia will remain frozen.
So far, sanctions threats and ceasefire calls from the European Union, the United States, the United Nations, and Ethiopia’s neighbors have fallen on deaf ears. Prime Minister Abiy Abiy, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019, still intends to achieve military victory. TPLF.
[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic]
