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  3. Tigrayan rebels denied allegations that they killed scores of villagers in a neighbouring region of northern Ethiopia earlier this month, a spokesman said Wednesday. “We categorically reject claims of our forces’ involvement in the killing of civilians,” Getachew Reda, spokesman for the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, said on Twitter. His comments came in response to reports that at least 125 civilians were killed by TPLF forces in the village of Chenna in the Amhara region which lies to the south of Tigray. Mulugeta Melesa, head of the hospital in nearby Dabat town, told AFP he had seen a mass grave and that there were 125 dead, with a search still going on for more bodies. The death toll could not be independently verified and AFP was not able to confirm whether those killed were civilians or combatants. “We reiterate our call for an independent investigation into all atrocities and our willingness to facilitate media access to areas under our control for independent verification of any allegations,” Getachew added. — AFP Source: National News Agency

Tigrayan rebels denied allegations that they killed scores of villagers in a neighbouring region of northern Ethiopia earlier this month, a spokesman said Wednesday. “We categorically reject claims of our forces’ involvement in the killing of civilians,” Getachew Reda, spokesman for the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, said on Twitter. His comments came in response to reports that at least 125 civilians were killed by TPLF forces in the village of Chenna in the Amhara region which lies to the south of Tigray. Mulugeta Melesa, head of the hospital in nearby Dabat town, told AFP he had seen a mass grave and that there were 125 dead, with a search still going on for more bodies. The death toll could not be independently verified and AFP was not able to confirm whether those killed were civilians or combatants. “We reiterate our call for an independent investigation into all atrocities and our willingness to facilitate media access to areas under our control for independent verification of any allegations,” Getachew added. — AFP Source: National News Agency

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message to the high‑level event on mental health interventions for peacebuilding in conflict and humanitarian settings, held today:

Vulnerability and mental health problems are part of our collective human experience and should be treated as seriously as physical health issues, including during a global pandemic.

Peacebuilding, mental health and psychosocial support are deeply interconnected.  People who have suffered losses, attacks, family separations and gender-based violence carry grievances and wounds that can perpetuate repetition and cycles of violence.  Mental health and psychosocial support must be seen as integral, cross-cutting components in all our humanitarian, peacebuilding and development programmes.

I therefore welcome today’s high-level event, which includes examples of promising initiatives to support mental health and psychosocial well-being, from north-east Nigeria to the Philippines, South Sudan and Ethiopia.

I commend the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Reference Group for developing a wide range of resources during the pandemic, some of which have been translated into more than 140 languages.

And I encourage donors, Governments and humanitarian agencies to scale up their investments in mental health and psychosocial support as a vital component in supporting peaceful, resilient and inclusive communities and societies.

 

Source: United Nations

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