Andrew Wilkie (Clark, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm here today on behalf of the members of the Tasmanian Eritrean and Tigrayan communities to table a petition regarding the civil war in Tigray. On 4 November last year, in response to an alleged attack, the Ethiopian government declared war on Tigray, a region of Ethiopia. Since then, the conflict has spiralled out of control and reports suggest that thousands have been killed, hundreds of thousands have been forced to flee homes and over 4.5 million people are desperately in need of food and medical relief. Moreover, to make matters worse, there are credible reports that Eritrea has joined the war, fighting alongside Ethiopia. No wonder both the UN and Human Rights Watch have expressed concerns that the actions of Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers in the conflict could amount to war crimes and that Eritrean refugees in the Tigray region are being forced to return to their country, a prospect that has horrified members of the Tasmanian Eritrean community.

I support this petition, which calls on the Australian government to apply every diplomatic pressure on the Ethiopian and Eritrean governments to end hostilities and to give aid agencies full access to the conflict zones so that urgently needed supplies can reach civilians. Furthermore, if reports regarding war crimes are found to be true, the Australian government must play a role in ensuring the perpetrators are brought to justice. I seek leave to incorporate the petition.

Leave granted.

The document read as follows—

Dear Marise,

We are writing to you about our grave concern in the ongoing civil war in Ethiopia between the central Ethiopian government and the state of Tigray. This civil war is now a regional war with the Eritrean regime now fighting alongside the Ethiopian government.

As of 8 December 2020, U.S Authorities have confirmed that Eritrea is now party to the war in Ethiopia against the state of Tigray. U.S. Authorities have confirmed this with satellite images and a number of diplomatic sources who are present in the region of Tigray. In late December 2020, a senior Ethiopian military officer, Major General Belay Seyoum addressing a meeting in the Tigraian capital Mekelle, confirmed the presence of Eritrean forces clearly confirming the regional dimension of the conflict. The U.S. government has since called for Eritrean forces to immediately stop their involvement in the war in Ethiopia.

It must be noted that every young Eritrean is forced to serve an open-ended military service by the dictator Isaias Afwerki. Mr Isaias Afwerki has led the country of Eritrea, unelected for 30 years. His track record includes, silencing people with different views or political orientation with imprisonment or death. Religious institutions and university have been closed for many years- running the country as an open prison and the people of Eritrea are hostages under this tyrant regime.

The engagement of Eritrean troops in the Ethiopian civil war is deplorable and strongly condemned by the people of Eritrea. There is no need for Eritrea to be party to a war that has nothing to do with the country. We are horrified and extremely saddened by the atrocities and war crimes that are being committed against the people of Tigray and the Eritrean refugees under lsaias's instructions. On 28 November, the African Union sent a team of negotiators- former Presidents Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, Joachim Chissano of Mozambique and Kgalema Motlanthe of South Africa to facilitate peace in Ethiopia. The Ethiopian Prime Minster Mr Abiy Ahmed however, refused to participate in mediation citing reasons that the conflict is simply a matter of conducting law enforcement on the region of Tigray. This, however, is not the case- given confirmed reports proving Eritrean forces are involved in the Ethiopian civil war.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet repeatedly expressed their grave concerns about the civil war in Ethiopia and its impact on civilians. The situation for Eritrean refugees is very desperate with confirmed cases of killings, abductions, forced return of Eritrean refugees back to Eritrea compounded by the terror and starvation that exists in the refugee camps. Refugees that were under the protection of UNHCR are now forced back into to the hands of a regime that they fled from. This is a serious crime against humanity.

On 17 December 2020 the European Union suspended the payment of a €90 million budget aid to the Ethiopian government over the crisis in the Tigray region. The decision is part of the 27 European countries' call for a cessation of hostilities. In addition to this the US and French governments have recently expressed their concern about the Ethiopian civil war and the war crimes committed in Tigray. They are also calling for this war to stop immediately and for urgent supplies to reach all civilian victims of this war.

We are urging the Australian government to join the growing voices of the international community that are calling for cessation of hostilities and human rights respect in the ongoing Ethiopian civil war.

In this regard we are asking your department to exert its diplomatic influence by:

1. Pressuring the Ethiopian Government to immediately stop fighting and negotiate via peaceful dialogue to resolve the conflict;

2. Calling for all Eritrean troops to leave Ethiopia immediately;

3. Calling for all Ethiopian troops to leave Eritrea immediately;

4. Pressuring the Ethiopian government to allow full access to international monitors to the conflict zone and facilitate urgently needed supplies to reach all civilians;

5. Freeze all support that the Australian government is giving to the Eritrean government;

6. Freeze all support that the Australian government is giving to the Ethiopian government; and

7. Calling for all acts of war crimes against the people of Tigray and Eritrean refugees to be independently investigated and perpetrators to be brought to justice.

Yours sincerely,

Concerned Australian Citizens

from 641 citizens