APA-Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said that rules of law and civil rights have been denied due to lack of adequate measures taken to hold the groups and individuals accountable for mass killing and evicting citizens from their residential areas, destroying properties and causing physical harm.
The Commission made public its annual report released Tuesday that no corrective measures “are being taken for the arbitrary mass evictions”.
EHRC has also announced that failing to bring about a permanent solution to the problem and ignoring the needs of the displaced compatriots will expose the victims to another displacement.
The Commission further stated that three years have elapsed since most of the displaced compatriots have started living in shelters and dispersed within the host community without getting a permanent solution.
The fact that the shelters are located in the vicinity of military camps shows that the security of IDPs is at risk and this indicates that the government has neither lived up to its expectations nor been governed by the Kampala Agreement, EHRC said
The Commission has thus disclosed that the protection and support to prevent displacement of people as well as the gaps witnessed in the process of finding a sustainable solution, have still remained a big concern.
Apart from the poor recording and filing systems of the displaced people, the support that should be provided to them is not being carried out properly, and it also prevents IDPs from exercising their freedom of movement and getting access to social services.
The statement quoted Deputy Chief Commissioner of EHRC, Rakeb Mesele, as saying that 80% of displacement in Ethiopia is caused by violent conflicts.
So, in order to prevent displacement and provide a sustainable solution to the problem, it is necessary to resolve conflicts peacefully in a timely manner, the statement indicated.
Although ensuring the complete protection of displaced persons requires the attention and implementation of all governmental institutions, the Commission announced that a coordinated system has not been implemented to direct the activities of the concerned institutions.
The Commission said that the absence of a legally mandated body to coordinate this is one of the main reasons for the gap to protect and support IDPs.
MG/as/APA