The security and human rights situation in Ethiopia, and the broader Horn of Africa, has sharply deteriorated amid recurrent and escalating conflicts, placing already vulnerable populations at increased risk of grave abuses.
This deterioration is starkly evident in the Amhara region, where conflict between the Fano, an ethnic Amhara militia, and the federal government has intensified since April 2023, alongside reports of grave human rights abuses. An 18 November BBC investigation documented thousands of cases of sexual violence between July 2023 and May 2025, with victims ranging from eight to 65 years old. Nearly half of victims tested positive for sexually transmitted infections, and many were left pregnant and deeply traumatized. From 43 health facilities, representing only about four percent of all health facilities in Amhara, the BBC recorded 2,697 reported cases of rape, with children under 18 accounting for 45 percent of all cases.
Despite these alarming figures, the true scope is likely far greater. Sexual violence is largely underreported due to fear of stigma and reprisals. Restrictions on access have further hindered independent monitoring. However, the BBC’s findings corroborate evidence from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and international human rights groups.
Ongoing extrajudicial killings, indiscriminate drone and air strikes on populated areas, destruction of civilian property – including homes and health facilities – and mass arbitrary arrests have also been documented in Amhara. These violations, prohibited under international humanitarian and human rights law, likely amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Grave violations in Amhara are unfolding against a backdrop of unresolved political grievances and rising regional tensions. The underlying drivers of the conflict remain unaddressed, including unimplemented provisions of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement that ended the 2020–2022 war in Tigray, Amhara and Afar. Meanwhile, federal forces that allied with neighboring Eritrea during the war are now entangled in escalating tensions fueled in part by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s ambitions to secure port access for landlocked Ethiopia. Both the Ethiopian and Eritrean governments have exchanged increasingly hostile rhetoric, raising concerns of renewed conflict. These regional frictions, combined with political fragmentation in Tigray and accusations of factions aligning with either Eritrea or the federal government, have further deteriorated the security situation.
The Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect Horn of Africa expert, Sarah Hunter, said, “This volatile environment risks igniting renewed violence in regions where communities are still recovering from past atrocities. Addressing this crisis demands urgent diplomatic engagement and principled action grounded in prevention, the protection of civilians and accountability for abuses past and present.”
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