In Ethiopia, the situation in the Amhara region continues to deteriorate, with violence that left at least 26 people dead in an airstrike last Sunday. This escalation of violence is causing growing concern on the part of the Ethiopian human rights monitoring body.
Indeed, heavy fighting between the federal army and local fighters broke out in Amhara, while mass arrests of civilians of this ethnicity were reported across the country. These tensions led to the declaration of a state of emergency by the federal government, with the aim of putting an end to the clashes.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed now wants to dismantle the militias that were supported by the government during the war in Tigray. However, this decision rekindled tensions and sparked a wave of violence in the Amhara region.
According to the Ethiopian human rights watchdog, fighting has been particularly heavy in recent days, with heavy shelling and airstrikes causing widespread death, injury and destruction. The inhabitants of the region are caught in the middle of these clashes, suffering the tragic consequences of this unstable situation.
Moreover, the mass arrests of civilians of Amhara origin in the capital, Addis Ababa, are also of concern. The watchdog deplores the lack of access to these people to verify their conditions of detention, which raises questions about respect for human rights in the country.
It is crucial that the Ethiopian authorities take urgent action to end this violence and protect the civilian population. The peaceful resolution of ethnic tensions and the promotion of human rights must be at the heart of the response to this crisis.
It is essential that the international community closely monitors the situation in Ethiopia and supports efforts to bring peace and stability to the Amhara region