Inter-Ministerial Task Force Ratifies Action plan

ADDIS ABABA – Inter-Ministerial task force (IMTF), tasked to investigate human rights violations in the context of the conflict in northern Ethiopia, ratified a detailed action plan for its four main committees.

The task force ratified the draft action plan during its meeting last Wednesday, said Dr. Tadesse Kassa, head of the Secretariat Office of IMTF in a statement issued today.

The government established the IMTF to take accountability measures in all serious violations that have occurred in Tigray as well as Afar and Amhara regions after the declaration of unilateral ceasefire in June 2021.

Its establishment came weeks after a joint investigation team drawn from the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and the UN Human Rights Office released its investigation report on Nov 3, 2021.

The report accuses all ides involved in the war in Tigray, to varying degrees, committed violations.

The Abiy Ahmed administration accepted the report with some “serious reservations” saying it would “complement our on-going effort to provide redress to victims, ensure accountability”.

The Inter-Ministerial task force  started its activity on Nov 29, 2021 by adopting a strategy document and setting up four committees namely investigation and prosecution, refugees and IDP affairs, sexual and gender-Based violence, and resource mobilization committees.

Last week, the committees presented detailed draft action plan for the Inter-ministerial Task Force meeting held on January 12, 2021.

After deliberating on the document, the task force ratified the action plan, said Dr. Tadesse who became head the IMTF Secretariat office last Month.

They have also been directed to start discharge their responsibilities as per the action plan, he added.

The Justice, Peace, Women and Social Affairs, and the Finance ministries chair each of the committees.