Members of the Ethiopian Tigray community in New Zealand are holding a nationwide rally this Thursday to call for an end to conflict and human rights abuses in their home country.

Last month the UN’s Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide said there had been reports of “extrajudicial killings, sexual violence, looting of property, mass executions and impeded humanitarian access” in Ethiopia. More than 27,000 people have been displaced and fled to Sudan already. Media and NGOs have been documenting atrocities.

The Ethiopian community in New Zealand is small, with just over 1600 people. Many came to New Zealand as refugees after a conflict with Eritrea that resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and displaced peoples.

Wellington rally organiser Rahwa Hagos says the current conflict in her home country is much worse than the war 30 years ago; and an attack on the Tigray people alone.

“The people in Ethiopia who also experienced the last war have expressed their horror at what is happening now – it’s much worse even than previous times.”

Ms Hagos says most Tigrayan Ethiopians in New Zealand have close family members in the Tigray region who are suffering.

“Some of us have had family members killed. Some waited an agonising two months before hearing any news from home; others have still not been able to contact immediate family members,” says Ms Hagos.

“They are starving, unable to access bank accounts, with no medicine available, living in fear of being looted and killed.”

The conflict has unfortunately created a rift in the New Zealand Ethiopian community, with some non-Tigrayan people supporting the government’s actions in the region.

“It has created a huge rift between the different Ethiopian and Eritrean people with the lack of sympathy and trust. Everyone is shocked by this after being one family for many years.”

Ms Hagos says they want the war to end: “We would like the New Zealand Government to do anything in its power to put pressure on the Ethiopian government to allow access to humanitarian aid. And to stop the war.”

It’s also helpful for other New Zealanders to know what is happening in their community and in their home country, says Ms Hagos.

“It’s helpful for people to realise that our parents, sisters, uncles, cousins, are there and suffering, and that we suffer with them. International media are covering stories coming out of Tigray, but very little news has been shown in New Zealand.”

All who support an end to the suffering of the Tigrayan people are welcome at the rallies.

RALLY DETAILS

Thursday, March 25 Meet at 10am at Civic Square, walk to Parliament, invited MPs and members of the Tigray community to speak.

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