Ethiopia urged to free Tigrayans in prison camps

The Ethiopian government-appointed human rights watchdog has called for the immediate release of thousands of Tigrayans who are being held in two detention camps in the north-eastern region of Afar.

The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission described their detention as illegal.

It says around 9,000 Tigrayans have been held there since December last year. They were from areas bordering Tigray where there has been a civil war.

The Addis Ababa government has said the detainees were being held for their own safety and also to allow screening to find criminals including people linked to the fighting.

Some of the detainees have previously told the BBC that the lack of medical help in the camps was causing outbreaks of disease - something the rights commission has also said.

Earlier this week the government announced a negotiating team in a bid to end the war in Tigray.

This article originally appeared in BBC News

Photo: BBC