A woman leans on the wall of a damaged house which was shelled as federal-aligned forces entered the city, in Wukro, north of Mekele, Tigray, on March 1, 2021. (EDUARDO SOTERAS / AFP)

ADDIS ABABA - The state affiliated Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) disclosed Thursday that it had reached an agreement with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to conduct a joint investigation into alleged human rights abuses committed in Ethiopia's northern Tigray regional state.

In a press statement, EHRC said the two sides will conduct a joint investigation into human rights violations and abuses allegedly committed by all parties in the Tigray conflict.

Months of fighting between the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Ethiopian National Defense Forces backed by allied forces since Nov 4 have reportedly left thousands of people dead, hundreds of thousands of others displaced, and millions in urgent need of humanitarian assistance

"The EHRC and the OHCHR have agreed to conduct a joint investigation into human rights violations and abuses allegedly committed by all parties in the context of the Tigray conflict, as part of the much-needed accountability process for the victims," read the statement. "The agreement to collaborate in a joint investigation is the result of an ongoing partnership and engagement between the two organizations."

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The joint EHRC-OHCHR deployment will start as soon as possible for an initial period of three months, according to EHRC.

Earlier this month, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet agreed to an Ethiopian government request for a joint investigation into human allegations of atrocities in the country's Tigray region.

Ethiopia's federal government has been undertaking military operations in the country's northernmost Tigray regional state since Nov 4 against Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which used to rule over the region, following the TPLF's alleged attack on the Northern Command of the Ethiopian Defense Forces.

Months of fighting between the TPLF and the Ethiopian National Defense Forces backed by allied forces have reportedly left thousands of people dead, hundreds of thousands of others displaced, and millions in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

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According to the Ethiopian government figures, the conflict has displaced around 2.2 million people, while 4.5 million people are in need of emergency aid.