This article provides an overview of recent developments in Ethiopia, with a focus on the Gondar and Amhara regions. It addresses ongoing conflicts, human rights violations, and political events, drawing from various reports and sources to present a comprehensive picture.
Conflict and Security Situation
Fighting between the Amhara Fano self-defense force (Fano) and Prosperity Party regime joint forces (regime forces) has continued in various parts of the Amhara Region. Battle events and rights violations were recorded in more than 34 woreda/city administrations across 10 zonal administrations in the Amhara Region, including:
- North Wollo
- South Wollo
- North Shewa
- East Gojjam
- West Gojjam
- Awi
- North Gojjam
- South Gonder
- Central Gonder
- West Gonder Zones
Developments were also recorded in Addis-Ababa city and East Arsi Zone of Oromia Region.
Fano forces have reported a series of major attacks against Ethiopian government troops in the Amhara region, including an ambush in North Gondar that they claim left 103 soldiers dead and 50 wounded.
According to the Ethiopian Media Service (EMS), the Amhara Fano National Force under the command of Dejazamch Belay Zeleke targeted a military convoy traveling between Soroka and Abrahagira. Fano sources said the operation inflicted heavy losses on government troops.
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In Gojjam, Fano officials reported three large-scale offensives on Thursday in Durbete, Amanuel, and Dembecha.
Marshet Tsehayu, head of public relations for Amhara Fano in Gojjam, said fighters entered Durbete at dawn, killing 45 soldiers and seizing hundreds of firearms.
Video footage circulating online allegedly shows captured government troops, though their number remains unclear.
In Dembecha, the Yoftahe Nigussie division reportedly besieged government positions from early morning until midday, killing what Fano described as “a high number” of soldiers, capturing 16, and seizing thousands of rounds of ammunition.
In Amanuel, the Belay Zeleke division reportedly carried out another ambush, claiming “heavy casualties” on government forces and capturing more than 100 firearms. Fano representatives said no fighters were lost in the operations.
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The Ethiopian Defense Force has not commented on the claims.
Civilian Casualties and Human Rights Violations
Civilian casualties were recorded in 6 woreda/city administrations across 3 zonal administrations in the Amhara Region. These included Raya-Kobo, Efratana-Gidim, Debre-Tabor, Tach-Gayint, Fogera, and Libo-Kemkem Woredas in North Wollo, North Shewa, and South Gonder Zones. Civilian casualties were also reported in the East Arsi Zone of Oromia Region.
The attacks were undertaken by unidentified militants which targeted followers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC).
Arbitrary arrests were reported in Raya-Alamata Woreda of North Wollo Zone in the Amhara Region. In Raya-Alamata Woreda, arrests were undertaken by Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) forces against civilians including religious leader with affiliation to the EOTC. In addition, abductions were undertaken by regime forces in North Mecha and Fogera Woredas of North Gojjam and South Gonder Zones.
Reports of conflict-related human rights abuses in the Amhara and Oromia regions continued, even after the state of emergency expired, and despite the initial state of emergency decree containing language specific to the Amhara Region. The government took limited steps to identify and punish officials who committed human rights abuses.
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There were reports of widespread killings of civilians, mass forced displacement, ethnic cleansing, rape and other forms of violence against women and girls, looting, and destruction of property by Amhara militias and affiliated groups in western Tigray. There were also reports of widespread unlawful killings of civilians and government officials in the Amhara and Oromia regions and elsewhere, including by the Oromo Liberation Army and Amhara Fano militia.
Local militia groups in the Afar, Amhara, Oromia, Gambella, and Somali regions reportedly carried out attacks and killings of civilians, displacing thousands.
Reports from Human Rights Organizations
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch (HRW), the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC), and the Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO) reported numerous cases of unlawful or extrajudicial killings within the context of continued conflicts in Amhara and Oromia regions and other parts of the country, including Tigray.
There were numerous instances when the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) and regional police forces reportedly used excessive lethal force against civilians within the context of conflict.
On April 9, unknown assailants killed Bate Urgessa, a prominent opposition politician, in Meki town, Oromia Region.
According to the OHCHR, from January 2023 to January, at least 1,351 civilians were killed in the country due to attacks by government forces, Eritrean troops, antigovernment militias, and unknown actors. Of these, 740 civilians were killed in the Amhara Region.
The use of unmanned aerial vehicles by government forces resulted in 248 civilian deaths between August 4 and December 31, 2023, and destroyed vital infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, and water infrastructure, according to the OHCHR update.
Between November 2023 and April, the EHRC documented numerous instances of unlawful and arbitrary killings, including extrajudicial killings by government forces in conflict-affected areas of North, West, and East Gojjam zones, as well as Bahir Dar and nearby areas, South Gondar, North Shewa and Oromia Special Zone of Amhara Region.
On January 29, at least 89 civilians were killed by government troops in Merawi town near Bahir Dar, Amhara Region, according to media reports. On April 12, Amnesty International released its investigation into this incident, which followed clashes between Amhara Fano militia and the ENDF.
The report corroborated eyewitness accounts with satellite imagery to conclude ENDF soldiers rounded up residents from their homes, shops, and the streets, and summarily executed more than 50 individuals.
On May 12, Deutsche Welle (DW) Amharic reported two drone strikes in the North Shewa zone of the Amhara Region’s Kewet and Molale districts killed at least 10 civilians.
On June 15, the Center for Advancement of Rights and Democracy (CARD) reported in Oromia Region, a member of the ENDF raped a woman, age 18, and subsequently shot her to prevent her from reporting the incident in the region’s Bule Hora District. The soldiers also threatened her entire family and killed her father.
On July 3, HRW released a report titled, If the Soldier Dies, It’s on You: Attacks on Medical Care in Ethiopia’s Amhara, highlighting government security forces’ abuses. These forces, which included the ENDF and government militias, deliberately deprived the civilian population of essential items such as food, drinking water, and medical aid, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis, according to the report.
The report documented instances where humanitarian access was denied, and where humanitarian workers were attacked, further hindering relief efforts. Between August 2023 and May, HRW conducted 58 interviews with victims, witnesses, health professionals, and aid workers.
Specific incidents highlighted the severity of the situation. For example, in December 2023, an apparent drone strike targeted an ambulance in the South Wollo Zone, killing the driver and a patient. In another instance, hospitals in the South Gonder Zone were repeatedly raided by government forces searching for patients with gunshot or trauma wounds, whom they suspected of being affiliated with Fano fighters. These raids led to wrongful arrests and the destruction of medical supplies.
The report also noted the continued hostilities disrupted the delivery of medical supplies, leading to acute shortages in hospitals and health-care centers.
On February 29, Refugees International reported despite the COHA, the situation in Tigray remained dire, with deliberate deprivation of essential items such as food, drinking water, and medical aid severely impacting the civilian population. According to the report, Eritrean troops, Amhara forces, and others had not fully withdrawn from parts of Tigray and at times denied humanitarian access, and there were reports of attacks against humanitarian workers, further complicating relief efforts. Many families resorted to desperate measures, such as feeding their children cattle roots feed or forcing them to sleep longer to stave off hunger pains.
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Freedom of Expression and Media
The government’s respect for freedom of speech deteriorated, especially in response to the conflicts in Amhara and Oromia regions. In July 2023, CARD commissioned a study entitled Media Space and the State of Media Associations, which found an increasingly narrowing media space in the country.
On May 25, the Ethiopian Human Rights Defenders Center (EHRDC) reported on the “dire situation” regarding freedom of expression due to armed conflict and the imposition of the August 2023 state of emergency. The EHRDC reported human rights defenders faced severe limitations, including internet shutdowns and restrictions on public gatherings, which impeded their ability to communicate, mobilize, and advocate for human rights.
The EHRDC further reported the government’s crackdown extended to artistic expression, particularly targeting art nights and theaters that featured political or social satire. For instance, on January 11, the solo theater performance Eyayu Fengus Boletika was banned for reportedly criticizing the government.
On June 6, Voice of America (VOA) Amharic reported the Ethiopian Federal Police (EFP) accused three artists of terrorism and plotting a violent overthrow of the government after banning their politically themed theater performance. The EFP alleged the artists, along with 17 others, incited violence through social media and provided logistical support to a terrorist group.
Journalists reportedly feared reprisals, as many journalists were killed under unclear circumstances. The government harassed and detained foreign journalists. On June 18, the CPJ reported Belay Manaye, founder of the YouTube channel Ethio News who was arrested in November 2023 and detained at the Awash Arba military camp, was released. Belay and his cohost Belete Kassa reported on the conflict between federal forces and the Fano militia in the Amhara Region.
The report noted at least 54 Ethiopian journalists went into exile since 2020, with the CPJ providing emergency assistance to 30 of them. While independent media were active, reports of harassment, intimidation, and other restrictions of journalists critical of the government - especially its response to internal conflicts - were widespread.
On April 14, the Ethiopian Mass Media Professionals Association (EMMPA) raised concerns on the prolonged imprisonment of journalists in Addis Ababa and called for their release.
Workers' Rights and Labor Conditions
The constitution and law provided workers, except for civil servants and certain categories of workers primarily in the public sector, with the right to form and join unions, conduct legal strikes, and bargain collectively. Other provisions and laws, however, severely restricted these rights.
The law specifically prohibited managerial employees, teachers, health-care workers, judges, prosecutors, security-service workers, domestic workers, and seasonal agricultural workers from organizing unions. While the law recognized the right to collective bargaining, this right was severely restricted under the law. Negotiations aimed at amending or replacing a collectively bargained agreement had to take place within three months of its expiration; otherwise, the prior provisions on wages and other benefits ceased to apply.
In August, the EHRCO reported the application of the law providing workers the right to form and join unions was inconsistent. Many workers were often unaware of their rights or faced significant barriers in organizing. There was no national minimum wage. Some government institutions and public enterprises set their own minimum wages.
Workers in the country’s industrial parks earned wages below the poverty line and reported working longer hours than the legal maximum.
The law provided for a 48-hour maximum legal workweek with a 24-hour rest period, premium pay for overtime, and prohibition of excessive compulsory overtime.
The EHRCO documented many industrial parks and factories failed to provide adequate working conditions. Workers often faced poor working environments with insufficient wages to meet basic living standards. The absence of a standardized minimum wage exacerbated this problem, as employers often set wages arbitrarily, leading to significant disparities and economic hardship for workers.
The government, industries, and unions negotiated occupational safety and health (OSH) standards, which did not fully address worker safety in many industries. Human rights organizations and labor unions lamented the lack of attention given to OSH standards, particularly in the construction sector.
Overall, the government did not effectively enforce wage laws. Penalties were not commensurate with those for comparable violations of similar laws. The Labor Ministry’s inspection department was responsible for enforcement of workplace standards.
OSH measures were not effectively enforced. The ministry carried out some regular labor inspections to monitor compliance, but the government had an insufficient number of labor inspectors to enforce the law and did not effectively record or track violations.
The World Bank and the National Employment Policy and Strategy of Ethiopia reported the informal sector included more than 70 percent of urban workers.
Enforced Disappearances and Informal Detention
On July 5, the EHRC released its Annual Ethiopia Human Rights Situation Report (June 2023 - June 2024) highlighting multiple cases of enforced disappearances and the detention of persons in informal detention facilities, especially in conflict-affected areas of the country.
The report highlighted that agents of the government or groups acting with the government’s authorization, support, or acquiescence were involved in keeping civilians in informal detention centers. In Tigray, the EHRC annual report highlighted continued enforced disappearances, despite a reduction in enforced disappearance following the COHA.
