On Friday 25 June, the EU condemned “in the strongest possible terms” the killing of three Médecins Sans Frontières staff members in Tigray, Ethiopia, “while delivering aid to those needing it most”.
In a joint statement issued on Friday evening, the Head of European Diplomacy, Josep Borrell, and the Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, offered their condolences to the relatives of the victims.
“This atrocity is another horrific example of the escalation of the conflict in Tigray and a flagrant breach of International Humanitarian Law”, they said again, just days after the bombing of a village market place (see EUROPE 12748/7).
They reiterated the urgent call for an immediate ceasefire and unrestricted humanitarian access to all conflict-affected people in the region, as made by the Heads of State and Government on 24 June, who furthermore called for the immediate withdrawal of Eritrean forces and expressed their commitment to support Ethiopia in the implementation of democratic reforms and reconciliation efforts.
Borrell and Lenarčič also “recall in the strongest possible terms that civilians and aid workers must not be a target”. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)