Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict: Rape as a weapon of war
By DW
28 February 2022 |
5:32 am
The war in Ethiopia has left tens of thousands dead and millions displaced, as government troops and the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front battle over territory. A UN investigation found all sides in the conflict had committed atrocities, including rape. Warning: This report contains descriptions of sexual violence.
In this article
Related
23 Jan
On January 13, in the first European trial against a high-ranking Syrian regime official, a former senior intelligence officer was sentenced to life in prison in Germany for crimes against humanity. Former head of interrogation at a detention centre in Damascus, Anwar Raslan was found guilty on 4,000 counts of torture and the murder of 27 detainees, less than a year after one of his subordinates was convicted by the same German court. It’s been a long road to justice for victims and their lawyers tracking down former torturers who have settled in Europe since 2013.
25 Jan
A World Health Organization (WHO) official said on Monday that the global body would postpone a decision on Ethiopia's request to investigate its leader for allegedly supporting rebellious forces fighting the Ethiopian government. WHO Executive Board chair Patrick Amoth made the statement at a meeting of the board in Geneva where current director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus' bid for a second term as head of the U.N. agency is due to be discussed.
26 Jan
The West still doesn't know why war in Ukraine might happen, but it increasingly seems like it's happening. Kiev is trying to keep calm and rally support while being surrounded on three sides and being the recent victim of a cyberattack that feels like a dry run. Meanwhile, NATO countries are sending weapons and advisors while deploying fresh troops elsewhere in Eastern Europe. But that's small compared to the 100,000-plus forces amassed by Moscow.
29 Jan
All sides in Ethiopia's civil war have been accused of unspeakable atrocities. Will anyone be held responsible for them? Tim Sebastian speaks to the country's minister for democratization, Zadig Abraha.
6 Feb
The threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine is rattling nerves across the West. But people living in Ukraine's eastern border region have already faced years of conflict. Now, schoolchildren and teachers are preparing for an escalation of fighting.
5 Feb
Is there no stopping all-out civil war in Myanmar? On the first anniversary of the coup that ended power sharing between Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy and a military whose candidates had just been trounced in a general election, a silent strike took place to protest the brutal crackdown against calls to return to civilian rule. Can peaceful protest still work?
13 Feb
The International Court of Justice orders Uganda to pay millions in reparations to Uganda over its role in the conflict in the eastern Congolese province of Ituri in the late 1990s. Also, relief workers struggle to help those caught up in the aftermath of Cyclone Batsirai in Madagascar. And key scientific, political and entrepreneurial voices head to the French city of Brest for the One Ocean Summit event, which is spotlighting the urgent need to protect international waters and marine life.
10 Feb
The International Court of Justice orders Uganda to pay millions in reparations to Uganda over its role in the conflict in the eastern Congolese province of Ituri in the late 1990s. Also, relief workers struggle to help those caught up in the aftermath of Cyclone Batsirai in Madagascar. And key scientific, political and entrepreneurial voices head to the French city of Brest for the One Ocean Summit event, which is spotlighting the urgent need to protect international waters and marine life.
16 Feb
Munich Security Conference chair Wolfgang Ischinger says he is "deeply worried" about the risk of Russia mounting an attack on Ukraine. But speaking to Deutsche Welle he said he was "skeptical" that Russia would go as far as an assault on the capital Kyiv.
16 Feb
Rights groups have said the suspected Russian bombing of chicken farms and water stations in Idlib, one of Syria's last rebel-held areas, is meant to push out displaced locals. It may have been a war crime.
16 Feb
The fighting between forces of the Ethiopian government and fighters from the Tigray region has had a devastating effect on the civilian population. The UN has warned of a "grave humanitarian situation."
19 Feb
Ethiopia lifts its wartime state of emergency, which was imposed when Tigrayan rebels threatened to advance on the capital last November. Also, Liberia celebrates 200 years since the country's birth with a mass rally. And we take you to Central African Republic, where peanut farming is essential to the residents of Paoua.
Latest
5 hours ago
The war in Ukraine has forced a major rethink of European security, with further enlargement of both NATO and the EU now on the table. Kyiv has asked for a fast-track procedure for EU membership. Moldova and Georgia have also applied. The EU has made it clear that Ukraine belongs to the European family. However, admitting several more nations would be highly challenging. And even before the war, the EU was already negotiating with candidate countries Albania, the Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey. We discuss how far the EU should grow, and how fast that process should be, with two MEPs.
5 hours ago
As Berlin seeks to ween itself off Russian energy sources, Chancellor Scholz has said Qatar "plays an important role" in energy policy. The visiting Emir of Qatar has confirmed could start LNG deliveries by 2024.
5 hours ago
Germany's defense minister has said the anti-aircraft tank will be used to protect "critical infrastructure" in Ukraine from Russian attacks.
6 hours ago
On day two of the Cannes Film Festival, FRANCE 24's Olivia Salazar-Winspear tells us why the première of "Top Gun: Maverick" has movie fans jostling to catch a glimpse of US actor Tom Cruise on the red carpet. We also take a look at the first films competing for the Palme d'Or, as Kirill Serebrennikov returns to Cannes to present "Tchaikovsky's Wife". The Russian director was unable to attend the screenings of his last two films, "Petrov's Flu" and "Leto", due to living under virtual house arrest in Moscow in recent years.
6 hours ago
Taipei has introduced a "new Taiwan model" to shift away from its "zero-COVID" strategy. But public health experts warn of an increase in COVID-19 fatalities if the island can't streamline policies.
6 hours ago
In France, coming out of the closet and living openly as a member of the LGBTI+ community can be a significant psychological, emotional and social challenge. Until just 40 years ago, it was also a legal one. In 1982, the age of consent was lowered from 21 to 18 for homosexuals in France, making it the same for everyone. This landmark law paved the way for important civil liberties, including the legalisation of same-sex marriage in 2013. But there are still obstacles to be overcome. To find out more about the ongoing fight for equality, we speak to Sébastien Tüller, LGBTI+ legal advisor for Amnesty International France.