MINILIK SALSAWI

  by Mesfin Tegenu, (  thehill.com) AP photo Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. In recent weeks, the world’s gaze has been intensely focused on a war halfway around the world. Intense fighting between Israel and Hamas has left thousands of people dead, including many children, and generated television images that make it hard to look away.  At the same time, just 1,500 miles south of Gaza City, a violent and escalating conflict is largely being ignored by the outside world. Earlier this month, in northern Ethiopia’s Amhara region, government soldiers unleashed heavy weapons fire that witnesses said endangered historic, rock-hewn churches that date as far back as the 12th and 13th centuries.   The fighting between troops loyal to the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and civilians tied to the region’s Fano militia — fo...

 More than a year after the end of conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, a severe humanitarian crisis continues to impact the area, with women being particularly affected, according to a new report by the nonprofit group Refugees International.    Senior fellow Sarah Miller, who conducted extensive research by interviewing civilians and health workers in the Tigray region, found that an estimated 40–50% of Tigray’s women experienced gender-based violence during the fighting between regional forces and the federal government. Of these victims, over 80% reported being raped, with nearly 70% reporting brutal gang rape by armed militia groups. The report also highlighted the lack of available support for the population of over seven million in Tigray, with only three clinical psychologists covering the entire area. This has led to many abused women facing untreated trauma, according to the report. Additionally, the report revealed that hundreds of thousands...

The Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) through its spokesperson Odaa Tarbii expressed its “unwavering commitment” to peace and dialogue, and said “its door to negotiation is always open”.   This comes following the collapse of the second round of talks between the armed group and Ethiopian  government earlier this week, for which the spokesperson accused the government of trying “to entice the OLA leadership with offers of power and position while failing to address the underlying issues”.  He added despite OLA upholding its commitment to de-escalation during the talks, the regime launched an offensive on its positions in Oromia midway through the negotiations. The government however said “the obstructive approach and unrealistic demands” of the OLA led to the collapse of the talks. On 20 November 2023, a day before the announcement of the conclusion of the talks without agreement, four civilians were killed amidst a fierce fighting between government forces ...

  Ethiopia : Amara region:- The context of the armed conflict that continued for months and its negative human rights implications Combatant forces should refrain from targeting civilian people and property, public services and infrastructure, and the government should create conditions for the continuation of social services. It is recalled that the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (ESMECO/Commission) has urged in various statements to take immediate measures to help prevent harm to civilians, including finding a peaceful solution to the large-scale human rights violations caused by the ongoing armed conflict in the Amhara region. The Commission continues to closely monitor the negative impact of the conflict on human rights and social movements. Based on this, he has be...

In Ethiopia, violent crimes are being committed in the country and this is a serious threat   The United Nations Human Rights Commission has warned that atrocity crimes are being committed in the country and this is a serious threat. The EU has dropped the diplomatic ball at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva – and turned their backs on the victims of atrocities in Ethiopia .   A group of international human rights experts, in a new report released on Tuesday, warned that serious atrocities have been committed in Ethiopia and that the problem may worsen, and called for an international independent investigation.     This report indicates that according to sources based on accurate information and evidence, brutal crimes have been committed against the citizens of the country in Ethiopia.   Atrocity crimes are serious crimes against humanity and according to the United Nations they are genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.     According t...

 A suspected air strike at the weekend in Ethiopia's Amhara region killed at least 26 people, a hospital official said on Monday, as a state-appointed rights group detailed widespread killings of civilians since fighting broke out this month. Federal forces managed late last week to push Fano militiamen out of most major towns in Amhara, but clashes continue in other parts of the region, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said in a statement.   The fighting, which has been fuelled by Fano accusations that the federal government is trying to weaken Amhara's defences, is Ethiopia's biggest security crisis since a two-year civil war in the northern Tigray region ended last November. Ethiopia's government denies the allegations by Fano, an informal militia that backed federal forces during the Tigray war. Spokespeople for the government, the military and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed did not respond to requests for comment on Monday about the suspected ...

Mobile internet access was down in parts of Ethiopia's Amhara region and flights to two cities were cancelled on Thursday, following days of clashes between the federal military and local militiamen. A simmering feud between the Fano militia and federal authorities, who were allies during the two-year civil war in the neighbouring Tigray region that ended last November, has burst into the open this week. The fighting was prompted by an operation by the military to push Fano fighters out of certain areas, according to a diplomatic source. Ethiopia's deputy prime minister, Demeke Mekonnen, called the situation "concerning" on Wednesday. Two residents of Amhara's capital, Bahir Dar, and three in Gondar, its second-biggest city, said mobile internet services were unavailable on Thursday. They declined to be named for security reasons. Authorities in Ethiopia have repeatedly cut internet services over the past few years during bouts of conflict and civil u...