On 12 December, the European Union joined the call of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to ”ensure the safety and well-being of Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia, who have been caught up in the conflict in the Tigray region”.
The call was made by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, and the European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič.
“All refugees must be protected from harm and any act of refoulement or forced return should be prevented, in accordance with international refugee, human rights and humanitarian law. Any return must be safe, voluntary and dignified”, they stressed in a joint statement.
“We urge parties to the conflict to allow and facilitate immediate, unhindered and unrestricted humanitarian access to all affected areas”, in full respect of international humanitarian law, the statement emphasised.
“ Civilian populations should be protected and provided with the possibility to freely and safely seek protection and assistance”, the High Representative and the Commissioner said. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)