An interview with Rebecca Bakos Blumenthal in Die Presse highlights the situation in northern Ethiopia. According to the World Food Programme (2025), more than ten million individuals are currently affected by severe food insecurity.
A 2022 report by Global Rights Compliance characterises the use of starvation as “a hallmark of the conflict” in Tigray. The destruction of farms, the dismantling of water and irrigation systems, the looting of grain reserves, and the deliberate obstruction and targeting of humanitarian aid organisations are not incidental by-products of war, rather, they are a deliberate strategy.
As emphasised by Rebecca: “With the peace agreement that existed at the time, there was neither justice nor accountability for the actions.”
Although the use of starvation as a weapon of war is recognised as a crime under international law, accountability for crimes committed during the conflict has remained deeply limited.
Domestically, there appears to be neither the capacity nor the political will to hold perpetrators of crimes committed during the conflict in Tigray and neighbouring regions to account. In that context, pursuing cases under universal jurisdiction in third countries may offer a credible pathway to accountability, while also opening avenues for redress for victims.
Read the full article in German.