Sexual Assaults Soar in Tigray Following Peace Deal, Study Reveals

A study of medical records reveals that scores of women and girls in Ethiopia's Tigray region were sexually assaulted, often by multiple men alleged to be combatants, after a peace agreement ended the conflict last year. The study found that at least 128 sexual assaults occurred after the peace agreement was signed, with many women and girls left without treatment for months due to destroyed or looted health facilities. The survivors face long-lasting physical and psychological trauma, including HIV infection and raising the children of their rapists. The study suggests that the sexual assaults were a systematic use of rape as a weapon of war, with most attackers appearing to be members of a military group, often from neighboring Eritrea. Independent accountability efforts are at risk of being shut down, raising concerns about justice for the survivors.