The EU aid package was initially worth 1 billion euros (USD 1.04 billion) and was due to be given to Ethiopia from 2021 to 2027, but it was suspended in late 2020 after fighting broke out in the northern Tigray region. The Tigray war killed unknown thousands and was characterized by massacres, mass rape and allegations of enforced starvation. The EU has long insisted it would not normalize relations with Ethiopia until there was accountability for these crimes. The EU's aid pledge to Ethiopia came a day before the deadline for renewing the mandate for the investigation at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Last week Human Rights Watch said the EU should submit a resolution at the UN Human Rights Council calling for continued investigations into atrocities.

Source: Ethiopian News October 04, 2023 16:45 UTC