Australia thanks the Special Rapporteur for their oral update.

We remain gravely concerned by the human rights situation in Eritrea, including reports of forced labour, child labour and indefinite conscription, and reports of collective punishment against the families of those who do not join the military. We are concerned that many prisoners are indefinitely detained in inadequate and overcrowded prisons, often without access to legal assistance or due process.

We are deeply disturbed by report on the conduct of Eritrean forces in northern Ethiopia, including widespread and persistent human rights abuses, large-scale massacres, summary executions, gender-based violence and the forced return of Eritrean refugees. Australia calls on Eritrea to immediately withdraw all its remaining forces from Ethiopia.

Australia strongly urges Eritrea to grant the Special Rapporteur full and unhindered access across the country.

How can the international community best support accountability for the egregious human rights violations and abuses committed by Eritrea’s armed forces against the population of northern Ethiopia?