Gov’t refutes Special Adviser’s irresponsible, reckless statement on Ethiopia

Addis Ababa, October 12, 2023 (FBC) – The government of Ethiopia, through its Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, has dismissed the recent “irresponsible and reckless statement” on the situation in the country by the UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide.

Dismissing the statement in the strongest of terms, the Government of Ethiopia said it “regrets that the Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide released an irresponsible and reckless statement on the situation in Ethiopia.”

The statement asserted that the Special Advisor relied on the report of the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia (1CHREE) to make an inflammatory statement against Ethiopia. ICHREE’s report lacks proper on-the-ground investigation, and its allegations have been compiled remotely from unreliable sources.

“This invalidates the accuracy and reliability of the findings contained in the report. It is thus deeply regrettable that the Special Advisor, entrusted with such an important mandate as preventing genocide, has chosen to make unsubstantiated allegations and inflammatory remarks,” the press release emphasized.

The statement also recalled, the Agreement for Lasting Peace through a Permanent Cessation of Hostilities signed on 2nd November 2022 in Pretoria, the Republic of South Africa has silenced the guns in northern Ethiopia. The Agreement is the result of the African Union-led and Ethiopian-owned peace process.

The African Union Monitoring, Compliance, and Verification Mechanism provided in the Agreement oversees the permanent ceasefire and the disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration process. The Government is determined to ensure the full implementation of this Agreement. Ethiopia is in the final stages of formulating a Transitional Justice Policy to ensure accountability and justice.

The statement further reminded that through the National Dialogue Commission, Ethiopia has also embarked on a nationwide dialogue to address past and present grievances and to forge a peaceful future for all Ethiopians. The expectation is that the international community will redouble support for the implementation of the Peace Agreement, including supporting rehabilitation and reconstruction of conflict-affected areas.

It that regard, the government underlined, “Ethiopia thus rejects the Special Advisor’s flawed assessment of the Pretoria Peace Agreement. In an outrageous assertion, she says: “An agreement to cease hostilities in the country more than a rear ago has largely failed…- This is false. The Special Advisor must retract her inaccurate statement that stands contrary to the consolidation of peace in the country.”