The Commission will sit for an initial three months, although AU said it could be extended.
The African Union has launched its commission of inquiry into human rights violations in Tigray, northern Ethiopia, establishing the first continental effort to investigate the conflict.
A statement from the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa said the team formed under the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights will begin preliminary work in Banjul, the Gambia, after which it will travel to the region to speak with locals.
It will be the first time the continental body, headquartered in Ethiopia, is picking up the task of finding the truth about atrocities in Tigray, where Ethiopian forces have been fighting the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), once a ruling party but now considered by Addis Ababa as a terrorist group.
“The Commission of Inquiry will begin its work in Banjul, Republic of The Gambia. It will conduct investigations on the ground and in neighbouring countries when the conditions are met,” statement from the AU said on Wednesday evening.
The Commission will sit for an initial three months, although AU said it could be extended.
“The Commission of Inquiry will adhere to the principles of independence, confidentiality, impartiality and neutrality, ensuring the protection of those with whom it collaborates.”
The Commission will run under the provisions of Article 45 of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights which allows it to speak with victims, alleged villains and other witnesses as well as collect documents from relevant authorities.
The Commission of Inquiry was officially formed in May following an uproar over atrocities in Tigray. Although it carries with it immunity granted under the Charter, its success or failure will depend on cooperation of stakeholders, including neighbouring countries like Eritrea and Sudan, who have both been roped into the conflict. Its final report, however, could only be a recommendation to be implemented by member states, including Ethiopia.
This inquiry is formally being labelled as a fact-finding mission to determine whether the events in Tigray constitute “serious and massive violations of human rights” as defined under international law.