MINILIK SALSAWI

  Warning: This report contains descriptions of rape and sexual violence. Names of victims have been changed and identifying details omitted to protect their privacy and safety. Enat was at home with her eight-year-old niece when the soldiers came one Sunday morning, she says. The Ethiopian army was carrying out searches of homes in the Amhara region on 5 January this year, as part of a crackdown on a growing rebellion launched by local militias known as Fano. Enat says three men, dressed in army uniform, entered her home in South Gondar and began asking questions about her family background and whether Fano fighters had visited the beer hall where she worked. Enat, 21, said they had. "How could we lie? How can we hide the truth?" Enat says, noting that Fano - an Amharic word loosely translated as volunteer fighters - is made up of locals. Things quickly escalated. After asking questions about her family background, Enat says the soldiers began insulting her, th...

  Christians in Ethiopia are facing increasing persecution, particularly in the state of Oromia. In October alone, the region saw more than 25 Orthodox Christians killed in its East Arsi Zone. One attack in Honqolo Wabe (Siltana) Woreda left five people dead, reportedly from the same family. Another saw the historic hilltop Asebot Monastery attacked, leaving one Orthodox Christian killed and his son seriously injured. A similar rise in persecution has also affected the Catholic community, prompting the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Ethiopia to issue a statement condemning the violence and calling on the government to take urgent measures to protect citizens. The bishops noted that “Catholics have died and property has been burnt” in an attack near St Mary’s Catholic Church in West Hararghe. They added: “Our Church strongly condemns this kind of inhuman act. Therefore, our Church calls upon the government to do the necessary law enforcement work to ensure the peace and security of...

  We're Still Breathing: Amhara Genocide in Ethiopia. Documentary Full Film

  Is it true that as many as 15,000 people died while building the dam over the past 14 years? Yes, that is true. No Individual Tribute for Simegnew Bekele With the inauguration of its landmark dam on the Nile, Ethiopia is on the verge of realizing a centuries-old national ambition. The project has come at a great cost, marked by both sweat and bloodshed. Yet, the journey doesn’t seem over. The government has already hinted at future projects on the Nile. Indeed, the GERD has been a truly national effort, with countless Ethiopians from all walks of life contributing to its success and leaving their mark. Within this effort, former chief project manager of GERD Engineer Simegnew Bekele is widely remembered for his immense dedication and ultimate sacrifice. Are there any specific tributes planned to honor his legacy and the well-being of his family (he left behind three minor children)? We believe the GERD is the legacy of everyone. Why don’t we talk about those securit...

  What a massacre reveals about Abiy Ahmed’s Ethiopia The killing of civilians is part of a disturbing pattern Photograph: Getty Images May 29th 2025 | Nairobi T wo months ago, in the early afternoon of March 31st, gunfire erupted in Birakat, a town in the Amhara region of northern Ethiopia (see map). Panicked residents ran for cover as the Ethiopian army battled local militias. Five hours later the guns fell silent, briefly. But after the army had taken control of the town, according to three eyewitnesses, a massacre began.  https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2025/05/29/what-a-massacre-reveals-about-abiy-ahmeds-ethiopia

  ግንቦት 01/2017 ዓ.ም ከአማራ ፋኖ ብሔራዊ ኃይል (አፋብኃ) የተሰጠ መግለጫ (የቋራ ቃል ኪዳን) የአማራ ህዝብ የጀመረው የህልውና ተጋድሎ በከፍተኛ ሁኔታ የተጋጋለበት ዘመን ላይ እንገኛለን:: የአማራ ክልልን ጨምሮ በበርካታ የሀገሪቱ አካባቢዎች እየተደረገ ያለው የህልውና ትግል ህዝባዊ መሰረት ያለው በመሆኑ በአንድ ወጥ ድርጅት እየተመራ ባይሆንም አመርቂ ውጤት እያስመዘገበ ይገኛል። ትግሉ ግለቱን ጠብቆ የበለጠ እንዲፋፋም እና በአጭር ጊዜ የአማራን ህዝብ ነፃነት ያረጋግጥ ዘንድ ይህንን ትግል የሚያቀናጅ እና የሚያስተባብር የጋራ አመራር ያለው ድርጅት መወለድ ግዜው የጠየቀው አንገብጋቢ ጉዳይ ሆኖ ተገኝቷል። ይህንን አንገብጋቤ ጥያቄ ለመመለስ በርካታ ሙከራዎች ተደርገዋል፥ ብዙ ውጣ ውረዶችም ታልፈዋል። በመጨረሻም የአማራ ህዝብ የናፈቀው፣ ሀገር ወዳድ ኢትዮጵያዊ ሁሉ የተመኘው፣ መላው የፋኖ ሰራዊት የጠበቀው፣ ታሪክ እንዲፈፀም የጠየቀው ጉዳይ ተጠናቋል። የአማራ ፋኖ በጎጃም፣ የአማራ ፋኖ በወሎ (ቤተ - አማራ)፣ የአማራ ፋኖ አንድነት በጎንደር እና የአማራ ፋኖ በሸዋ ከፍተኛ አመራሮች በጋራ ቋራ-ጎንደር ባደረጉት ቀናትን የወሰደ መስራች ጉባኤ ዛሬ ግንቦት 01 ቀን 2017 ዓ.ም የአማራ ፋኖ ብሔራዊ ኃይል (Amhara Fano National Force) የተሰኘ ድርጅት መመስረታቸውን ለመላው ሰራዊታችን፣ ለአማራ ህዝብ እና ለትግሉ ደጋፊዎች እናበስራለን። መላው የትግላችን ደጋፊዎች እንኳን ደስ አላችሁ። የአማራ ፋኖ ብሔራዊ ኃይል በአማራ ብሔርተኝነት የፖለቲካ ርዕዮት ዓለም ላይ የቆመ ህዝባዊ ተጋድሎ የሚመራ ሲሆን የድርጅታችን ዋነኛ ተልዕኮም እየተደረገ ያለውን የህልውና ትግል እና ህዝባዊ አብዮት ማስተባበር እና ማቀናጀት ይሆናል። ድርጅታችን የአማራ ፋኖ ብሔራ...

Tigray leaders dangerously torn between Addis Ababa and Asmara MINILIK SALSAWI » Tue Feb 25, 2025 1:02 am Relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea are at their lowest point since the end of the war in Tigray in 2022. Amid fears of a new conflict, both governments are trying to win over the Tigrayan leaders, who are more divided than ever. [...] https://www.africaintelligence.com/east ... 378687-eve Asmara .....

  The US is using the Renaissance Dam dispute as a tool to persuade Egypt to accept and resettle Gaza residents, the New Arab website reported, citing diplomatic sources. The report noted that a senior US delegation recently traveled to Cairo and discussed the issue with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdellatif and other officials. US officials reportedly told their Egyptian counterparts that if the US is to play a constructive role in resolving the Renaissance Dam dispute, Egypt must accept and resettle Gaza residents. Egypt, however, has rejected President Donald Trump’s proposal to partially resettle Gaza residents. It is worth noting that Ethiopia rejected the binding tripartite agreement proposed by President Trump during his first term in office to resolve the dam dispute.  

 By amnesty.org As today marks four months since the launch of a state-led campaign of mass arbitrary detention of thousands of people in Ethiopia’s Amhara region in September 2024, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah, said:  “The international silence over the mass and arbitrary detention of thousands of people in Amhara region is beyond shameful. Ethiopia’s development partners, as well as African and global human rights bodies, must use their influence to publicly call for the release of all arbitrarily detained people. The world must stop turning a blind eye to Ethiopia’s human rights crisis as the Ethiopian government continues to trample on the rule of law.  “Keeping thousands of people locked up for months without charge or trial is a travesty of justice and a blatant human rights violation. Not only are thousands of people behind bars without any legal basis, but the Ethiopian authorities have also ...

  A severe starvation crisis is unfolding in Ethiopia’s Amhara region, with reports indicating that people are dying due to a lack of food and medical supplies. This dire situation has been exacerbated by blocked humanitarian aid, with relief organisations facing significant hurdles in delivering essential assistance to those in need. Disturbing images of severely malnourished children have emerged, underscoring the urgency of the situation The crisis has prompted calls from the international community for immediate action to ensure the delivery of vital humanitarian aid to the affected areas. Disturbing images of severely malnourished individuals have emerged, underscoring the urgency of the situation and the need for a swift and effective intervention. According to sources, government forces have been accused of restricting communication in the Amhara Region. These restrictions include confiscating phones and monitoring communications, actions that are believed to ...

  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.