A Universal Periodic Review (UPR) filed with the UN Human Rights Council presents harrowing evidence of systemic economic destruction and infrastructure sabotage during the Tigray conflict and accuses Ethiopian, Amhara, and Eritrean forces of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and a potential genocidal campaign.
Although originally submitted to the Council in April 2024, the review was only made public last week. In it, its authors explode what they call a “calculated campaign” to cripple Tigray’s economy and society beyond the battlefield.
The review argues the scale and coordination of destruction during the two-year war go far beyond collateral damage, laying bare a war strategy that deliberately targeted civilian infrastructure.
“The full-fledged war has inflicted unimaginable suffering and claimed the lives of over a million individuals,” it reads.
The report details the ramifications of the war on various aspects of the region’s economy and infrastructure. It states that while initial airstrikes caused damage to vital economic institutions like the Welkait Sugar Factory and Tekeze Dam, the bulk of the devastation occurred after the capture of Mekelle.
This destruction included the demolition of vital businesses such as the Goda Bottle and Glass Share Company and the looting and destruction of the Addis Pharmaceutical Factory, according to the submission.
The report documents how Tigray was severed from Ethiopia’s national power grid after repeated aerial bombardments of the Tekeze hydropower facility—Tigray’s only major electricity source.
The attacks occurred in the weeks following the outbreak of war in early November 2020, cutting off power to hospitals, water treatment plants, and communications networks.
The Tekeze and Ashegoda energy complexes, with a combined capacity of 420 MW, were either directly hit or rendered inoperable, according to the report, which highlights a correlation between high mortality rates and the collapse of essential medical services relying on electricity—ICUs, dialysis units, incubators, monitoring devices, and vaccine refrigeration.
“Interruptions in power from Ethiopia’s national grid have ensued service disruptions, encompassing delayed medical procedures, diminished capacity, heightened mortality rates, and compromised patient safety,” it reads.
The report accuses the federal government of deliberately dismantling telecom infrastructure in Tigray and relocating key devices to Addis Ababa.
It also reveals that water systems were also a primary target, alleging that Eritrean forces destroyed the Kisad Gaba Water Treatment Plant near Shire. The plant, which had only been operational for three months, was looted and bombed, leaving residents to drink contaminated water, according to the report.
“A rough estimate suggests that the current damage to the Kisad Gaba water treatment and supply system exceeds 65 million Birr. This estimation does not encompass the damage and loss incurred by the contractor,” it reads.
Over 3.7 million people have been left vulnerable to waterborne diseases due to the war, the report estimates.
Humanitarian agencies were reportedly blocked from delivering chlorine tablets or spare parts for irrigation pumps by the Ethiopian army, compounding the water crisis, according to the review.
It cited an International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia (ICHREE) report in which interviewees and humanitarian workers highlighted instances of deliberate destruction or dismantling of water irrigation pumps.
The review also provides a window into the extent of the damage to Tigray’s education system.
More than 88 percent of the 2,054 public schools surveyed by the Tigray Education Bureau suffered severe damage during the conflict. The report states the region’s students have no choice but to walk between seven and 17 kilometers on average to reach a functional school.
The report states that nearly 2,000 students and more than 200 teachers were killed during the conflict. It also cites that the war inflicted extensive destruction upon Adigrat University’s infrastructure, leaving it in ruins.
“The devastation was profound, resulting in buildings reduced to rubble, severe damage to ICT infrastructure such as cloud computing centers, and disruptions to essential utilities like electricity and water supply,” the submission reads.
Moreover, it indicates that the road network—once a cornerstone of Tigray’s development—was “systematically dismantled” rendering farmers unable to access markets, leading to widespread food spoilage and inflation.
According to ResearchGate data cited in the report, 81 percent of smallholder farmers lost crops, three-quarters lost livestock, and nearly half lost their farm tools.
The report recommends the immediate establishment of a strategic planning and oversight commission to provide transparent guidance and support for the economic and infrastructure reconstruction efforts in Tigray.
The proposed commission would comprise representatives from key operational stakeholders, including federal and regional government bodies, donors, aid agencies, and civil society organizations.
The review also calls for special attention to be given to ensuring representation for marginalized communities such as the Iron and Kunama ethnic minorities, as well as women, religious leaders, and business figures.
