ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopian forces have perpetrated a massacre in Amhara state in late January, resulting in the deaths of at least 45 civilians, said the independent Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC), which is affiliated with the state.
The EHRC confirmed the identities of these victims, who were allegedly killed by government security forces in the town of Merawi for purportedly supporting an ethnic Amhara militia known as Fano. However, the EHRC said that the actual number of casualties may be higher.
Moreover, the EHRC stated that at least 15 other people, including women, were killed during a door-to-door search by government forces in another part of Amhara earlier in the same month. These incidents of violence followed months of clashes in the previous year between Ethiopia’s military and the Fano militia, prompting calls from the United States for an investigation into the matter.
According to the EHRC, security forces also detained an undisclosed number of people in Merawi suspected of being Fano members. Despite attempts to seek comment from the federal government in Addis Ababa, there has been no response.
Fano members had initially aligned with government forces during the conflict in the neighboring region of Tigray but severed ties after Addis Ababa signed a peace agreement with Tigrayan rebel authorities in 2022.
Following renewed fighting in Amhara last year, the federal government imposed a state of emergency in August, which was later extended by four months in February by lawmakers.
United States Expresses Concern over Massacre in Amhara
EHRC head Daniel Bekele reiterated calls for an end to extrajudicial killings, accountability, and a commitment to peaceful dialogue in a statement posted on X.
International concern over the situation has been expressed, with the United States voicing deep concern over reports of targeted civilian killings in Merawi. The US also highlighted numerous reports of violations and abuses elsewhere in Ethiopia, urging all parties to engage in dialogue.
The violence in Amhara has reignited fears about Ethiopia’s stability, particularly following a peace agreement signed in November 2022 to end the conflict in Tigray. The agreement has led to feelings of betrayal among the Amhara, as the two regions have a history of land disputes.
Tensions escalated last year when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government decided to dismantle regional forces nationwide, sparking protests among Amhara nationalists who argued that it would weaken their state.
In September, the EHRC accused federal government forces of carrying out extrajudicial killings and mass arbitrary detentions in Amhara and other regions.
