MINILIK SALSAWI

  A discussion with Asres Mare Damte, Deputy Chairman and Head of Political Department of Amhara Fano Gojam, on current issues

 ‘I have been in the jungle, struggling for my people.’ For the past 20 months, Ethiopia’s Amhara region has been torn apart by a bloody conflict between federal forces and a coalition of militia known as Fano, who demand full Amhara control of all territory they regard as part of their homeland. It’s a war in which the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) has been accused of extreme human rights abuses, and indiscriminate drone strikes by the military have killed hundreds of civilians. The conflict is largely waged in the rural highlands, but Fano has also managed to penetrate urban areas – raids that have triggered a violent response by the security forces. A woman who runs a small coffee stand in the regional capital, Bahir Dar – who asked not to be named for her personal safety – said her brother, a tuk-tuk taxi driver, was one such casualty. He had been on the streets when Fano launched a night-time attack on 26 August. “The police detained him as a suspect,”...

Hermela Mesfin, student , Human Rights advocate and activist , Founder and Co President of the youth humanitarian group Justice and Peace for Ethiopia and an active member of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church recently shared the plight of the Amhara people of Ethiopia before a US Congressional panel Hermela Mesfin, student , Human Rights advocate and activist , Founder and Co President of the youth humanitarian group Justice and Peace for Ethiopia and an active member of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church recently shared the plight of the Amhara people of Ethiopia before a US Congressional panel. Her presentation is shared below. Honorable members of Congress, ladies and gentlemen, My name is Hermela Mesfin.Thank you for giving me the opportunity to address this distinguished panel. I stand before you today to bring attention to the tragic and ongoing genocide against the Amhara people in Ethiopia. A crisis driven by a flawed and perilous constitution that was established in 1995 under the TPLF...

The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has called for urgent action to ensure accountability and justice after documenting 52 cases of enforced disappearances and arbitrary detentions between July 2023 and October 2024, with detentions occurring in military camps and undisclosed locations outside Addis Abeba.   In a   report   released on 23 October 2024, the EHRC outlined cases from regions including Addis Abeba, Amhara, and Oromia. The report detailed how individuals were taken from their homes or workplaces by security forces, often in unmarked vehicles and in the presence of witnesses. The Commission found that among the detained, 44 individuals were eventually released after being held for periods ranging from one to nine months, while eight remain unaccounted for. According to the report, some detainees were moved from regular detention facilities to unofficial sites, even after court proceedings had started. Several individuals were reportedly transferred be...

  Ethiopian Airlines has announced that it has stopped its regular flight to Asmara from today.    The airline has said that it stopped its flight to Asmara five times a week because it is facing too many problems in Asmara Ethiopian Airlines started its flight to Asmara six years ago, it was after it stopped flying to Eritrea for 20 years.       The airline has stated that it will provide conditions for passengers who have booked tickets to travel to Asmara to travel through other airlines without extra charges.   The Eritrea Civil Aviation Authority has announced earlier that it will stop flights from September 20, 2017 as the airline is experiencing delays and theft of passengers' luggage.

Authorities in Sudan’s eastern Al-Qadarif state closed the Gallabat border crossing with Ethiopia on Sunday after the Fano militia seized the nearby Ethiopian town of Metemma, sources told Sudan Tribune. The Amhara region, which borders Gederaf, has frequently clashes between Fano and government forces since the federal government signed a peace deal with Tigrayan forces in 2020. The sources said the Sudanese authorities allowed Ethiopian federal police and army personnel to cross into Sudan after they were disarmed. In return, Fano allowed Sudanese stranded at the border to cross into Ethiopia. Thousands of Sudanese have crossed into Ethiopia through Gallabat since conflict broke out in Sudan in April between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Fano also seized the Ethiopian border crossing at Metemma, aiming to cut off supplies of fuel and food to the Amhara region from Sudan, the sources said.