BRICS Summit: SA, Ukraine, Ethiopian groups bemoan human rights violations

The All Amhara United in South Africa called on African leaders attending the nearby BRICS Summit to stop the bloodshed and displacement of thousands of Amhara people.

They were part of peaceful protests staged by at least three civic organisations on Tuesday.

Ethiopia was one of at least 20 other countries which have shown an interest in joining the BRICS bloc.

However, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, has been criticised for the civil war in the Tigray region.

The group has accused Ahmed of overseeing the escalation of alleged military attacks in the area.

Temesgen Tarekegne shed a tear when he relayed the story of families that had been separated and forced to leave their homes.

“They were killed and left some babies around, and there was a seven-year-old girl, and they came to kill her. She begged them to stop, and she said, ‘please don’t kill me I promise not to be Amhara again’ because she already lost her parents.”

Tarekegne said mass funerals had become the norm, and scores live on the run, but the world – especially African leaders, had turned a blind eye to the atrocities.

READ: French, German ministers in Ethiopia to back peace process

He claimed millions have been displaced when fleeing from other states, such as in the Omoria region, and children were dying from poverty and starvation.

“They bury them by bulldozers, but they never did any crime to be treated like that. This is not starting now, it continued under Abiy Ahmed’s administration, but it’s happened for the last 40 years.”

Earlier this month, Human Rights Watch reported that Ethiopia’s federal cabinet announced a six-month state of emergency and placed the troubled region under military command.

The organisation warned that past declarations under Prime Minister Ahmed resulted in mass arrests and unlawful restrictions of communication and movement, amongst others.

Tarekegne described Ahmed as a political chameleon who did not deserve the Peace Prize award.

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, UKRAINE ASSOCIATION CALL FOR END TO RUSSIA WAR

Amnesty International in South Africa and its partners, the Helen Suzman Foundation, as well as the Ukrainian Association in South Africa, staged a peaceful demonstration to call for an end to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

South Africa has been under pressure from various organisations at home and abroad to condemn the invasion that started over a year ago. Still, the government has stood fast on its calls for dialogue between the two countries.

READ: Civil rights group to challenge ‘restriction’ from BRICS protest

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his foreign minister Sergy Lavrov to attend the gathering after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant of arrest for him.

Amnesty International SA campaigner Sibusiso Khasa said they also wanted Putin to stop the crackdown on anti-war activists.

“Russia continues on its crackdown on anti-war activists in Russia, and about 20 000 of them are facing reprisal from the Russian government. Sometimes they are facing criminal charges through unfair trials,” Khasa said.

Ukraine Association of South Africa’s Lesya Karpenko said they demand an immediate end to the war in Ukraine and for Russia to withdraw its troops.

“We were invaded, and we are seeking justice and an end to the war. We want the return of the grain deal which was stopped by Russia. Grain is not being delivered to people who don’t have bread on their tables.

Karpenko also called for the return of Ukrainian children.

“We want our children returned to Ukraine after they were displaced and detained in Russia. It’s stolen childhood and psychological harm for the kids.”

On Wednesday, groups, including the Stop EACOP [East African Crude Oil Pipeline], Debt for Climate, and the United Front, joined demonstrations on a number of issues ranging from climate change to justice for victims of the Marikana massacre.

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