Source: European Union

Foreign Affairs Council: Remarks by the High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell at the press conference

“The third issue was Ethiopia. We are marking a sad anniversary, the “first anniversary” of the conflict in Tigray.

Since then, Tigray has been shattered by systematic violations of human rights by armed groups that use war crimes and crimes against humanity as a weapon.

Humanitarian aid has been prevented to arrive, and we will prepare the ground in view of the upcoming United Nations report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Human Rights expected on 1 November, to give an adequate response, that can start by preparing sanctions.

I am tasking my services to take this forward once we have the Human Rights Abuses Report. At the same time, we need to examine how to continue development assistance to Ethiopia.

Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, will travel together with my Special Representative for the Horn of Africa to Ethiopia [Annette Weber], to send a clear message on behalf of the European Union, on the need to implement a ceasefire and the start of a political process, engaging all actors into a constructive political process.

And certainly the African Union Special Envoy former President [of Nigeria, Olusegun] Obasanjo will have our full support.”