NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Rape has occurred “conclusively and without a doubt” in Ethiopia’s embattled Tigray region, the country’s minister for women said in a rare government acknowledgement of the toll on civilians during 100 day of fighting. She did not say how many rape accounts the task force members collected or what parts of the Tigray region they visited. “Local structures such as police and health facilities where victims of sexual violence would normally turn to report such crimes are no longer in place,” the report said. Last month the United Nations special representative on sexual violence in conflict said “serious allegations of sexual violence” had emerged in Tigray, while women and girls face shortages of rape kits and HIV drugs amid restrictions on humanitarian access. Thousands of Ethiopians fled the war in Tigray region into Sudan.

Source: Egypt Independent February 12, 2021 12:11 UTC