In a report for the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council on Monday, September 19, a commission of three experts warns of the conflict that has been tearing Ethiopia apart since late 2020. The Commission “has every reason to believe that in several cases the violations” of fundamental rights “equate to war crimes and crimes against humanity”.

“The Commission is deeply disturbed by what it has found because it reflects deep polarization and hatred between ethnic groups in Ethiopia,” the text concludes. “This has created a worrying cycle of extreme violence met with retaliation, further increasing the imminent risk of new, even more serious atrocities,” experts say.

Also read: In Ethiopia, ten dead in bomb attacks on the capital of the rebel region of Tigray

The conflict erupted in early November 2020 when Abiy Ahmed’s federal government launched an offensive against the Tigrayan Popular Front for the Liberation of Tigray (TPLT) rebels who control this region of northern Ethiopia. The Tigray authorities have “always made sure” that the federal government is responsible for crimes against humanity, a spokesman for the FPLT said in an interview with Agence France-Presse on Monday. The government did not respond to inquiries. The resumption of fighting in the north of the country on August 24 shattered a five-month truce.

Experts pointed to the dire situation in Tigray, where the federal government and its allies have denied some 6 million people access to basic services for more than a year and where severe restrictions on humanitarian access have left 90% of the population in dire need of assistance.

“Devastating Impact”

The report said there was “reasonable reason to believe that the federal and allied regional governments [principalement l’Erythrée] have committed and continue to commit ethnically motivated crimes against humanity and other inhumane acts”. They “deliberately cause great suffering” by restricting humanitarian aid, the report said. Commission Chair Kaari Betty Murungi described the humanitarian crisis in Tigray as “shocking, both in its scale and in its duration”.

“Widespread denial and obstruction of access to basic services, food, health care and humanitarian assistance is having a devastating impact on civilian populations, and we have reasonable grounds to believe that this amounts to a crime against humanity,” she said. “We also have reasonable grounds to believe that the federal government is using hunger as a weapon of war,” she added.

Also read: Ethiopia: Death lives in Tigray

The commission, which also highlighted the many obstacles that constrained its on-site investigation between a ban on leaving the capital Addis Ababa and a lack of funds, was set up for a year on December 17, 2021 to conduct a thorough investigation and independent investigation into allegations of repeated human rights violations.

In a whole series of recommendations, she calls on the federal government and the Eritrean and Tigrayan authorities to ensure that the perpetrators of the abuses are brought to justice. It urges international and regional bodies to “take action that will restore peace, stability and security and prevent new violations of human rights.” They also call on the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to continue to monitor the situation and continue to call on the parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law, human rights and the rights of refugees.

The world with AFP

by Greta Privitera

Ksenia Thorstrom is now in Finland: “We are 70 MPs against the Tsar, we demand his resignation”

The document said: “We, Russian local deputies, believe that Vladimir Putin’s actions harm the future of Russia and its citizens. We demand the resignation of Vladimir Putin from the post of President ». In a country where the opposition is being jailed or forced to silence, it is an unprecedented act of courage to call for the resignation of the President and Tsar. Some St. Petersburg city deputies have done so and so far collected more than 70 signatures from colleagues from other cities.

“In this general silence, where our parliamentarians don’t raise their heads, it’s us who have to do something. We, little fish of the sea, who have little political power, who only manage the day-to-day affairs of our communities, but like everyone else, we risk ending up inside,” says Ksenia Thorstrom, deputy for the Semyonovski district in St. Petersburg, on the phone , Signatories and announcers (also via social media) of the petition.

Where did the idea come from?

“We spent ten days discussing what to do on Telegram. After seven colleagues were accused of having discredited the agency with another document against the invasion of Ukraine, we decided to lend our support. We try to collect as many signatures as possible, the number of members is high».

On the other hand, why wouldn’t your document discredit authority?

“Because under the law it is not discrediting to ask for a resignation. Unbelievable. It took us days to formulate these two simple phrases to avoid any reproach. Here’s a second where they walk you in. We were careful never to say “war”, there are many cases of ordinary people who ended up in court for writing “war” on social networks ».

Commenting on your document, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said critical opinions are tolerated within the law.

“Who knows if our opposition will really be respected. We have tried to write a text that will not only bring together the liberal and democratic souls of this country, but also the disappointed Putin supporters. There is”.

Who am I? And why should they value a document against the Fuhrer?

“Putinians like strong men, the ones who win. The recent Zelenskyi counter-offensive is weakening the leader’s reputation. And then everyone saw that in the end he did not take Kyiv, as he promised. Putin was respected because he seemed tough, some of his people don’t like to see his weaknesses and this can be a reason to turn away from him ».

Do you think there are still many citizens who support it?

“Half the population lives a parallel reality. These people entrust their heads to television, do not read anything and seek independent information. They sincerely believe that Westerners are threatening Russia and that Ukraine is full of Nazis, just as the TV tells it. Among them is my mother. The other half, on the other hand, is against Putin but afraid to oppose him and face a bad ending, which is why we are moving forward ».

What comments did you receive after the document was published?

“Thank you. Many citizens were moved, this petition is one of the first and only signs of hope. Parliament does not represent any of us ».

Excuse me, why are you speaking so frankly?

“At the moment I’m in Finland, I’m the safest of the 70 signing MEPs and I’ve been chosen as the spokesman. I don’t know what will happen when I return, but I want to return. ‘

September 19, 2022 (Change September 19, 2022 | 22:09)

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The informal rate hit the £38,600 per greenback threshold that day, according to online claims and moneychangers, surpassing the maximum of 37,000 recorded on May 27.

Since the summer of 2019, the national currency has been devalued by around 95 percent while the official exchange rate remains at 1,507, coinciding with a severe liquidity crisis and the cessation of banks providing depositors with their money in dollars.

Analysts are linking the Lebanese pound’s depreciation and rising demand for the dollar, particularly to the central bank’s gradual lifting of import subsidies on key commodities, including fuel, last week.

In this regard, the central bank began operating through the Sayrafa platform to defuse tensions at a rate that is fluctuating, closing today at an exchange rate of £29,800 per dollar.

On his first day in Beirut, the IMF spokesman exchanged views with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Interim Finance Minister Yousef Al-Khalil to review measures leading up to the aid deal.

In early April, the IMF announced a tentative agreement with Lebanon on a $3 billion support plan over four years, conditional on the government’s commitment to implement past reforms.

Still pending on the fund’s list of demands are the passage of the Capital Control Law restricting foreign currency withdrawals and transfers from banks, the 2022 General Budget and the restructuring of the banking sector.

Last week, Lebanon recorded seven raids on bank branches by depositors demanding their money amid political indifference and deteriorating living conditions.

In response to the attacks, the Lebanese Banking Association announced the closure of its institutions for three days from today through Wednesday; in a move that economists say has contributed to a stronger appreciation of the exchange rate.

A report released in early May by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights, Olivier De Schutter, found that the central bank has guided the Lebanese state towards a system that protects the rich and leaves poor families helpless

Most Lebanese blame central bank governor Riyadh Salameh as one of the architects of the country’s worst crisis in decades, which has plunged four out of five citizens into poverty.

Against this backdrop, Hezbollah Executive Council Chairman Hashem Safi Al-Din yesterday denounced that the United States was obstructing Lebanon’s progress under the siege and pressure on politicians and officials.

The Lebanese Islamic Resistance member assured that the country has the qualities and capabilities to emerge from the current crisis by implementing plans committed to the welfare of the people; However, the US government is making any solution difficult.

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Brazil has already recorded more forest fires in the Amazon region this year than in all of 2021. According to the Brazilian space agency INPE, satellite observations from January 1 to September 18, 2022 identified around 75,592 sources of fire. in the rainforest.

In the previous year there were a total of 75,090 fires. “These forest fires are a tragedy foretold,” said André Freitas, spokesman for the environmental organization Greenpeace in Brazil.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s four-year term was one of the darkest moments for the environment. Environmental and climate protectionists blame the policy of the right-wing president, whom they accuse of favoring illegal deforestation, for the increase in fires.

Since Bolsonaro took office in January 2019, average annual deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has increased by 75% compared to the previous decade.