We urgently draw your attention to the ongoing genocide against the Amhara people in Ethiopia, a crisis ignored by this council and its member states. Amhara women face catastrophic realities, including trafficking, gang rape, torture, and witnessing the brutal killings of their loved ones.
CAP LC’s statement highlights the longstanding issue of marginalization and conflict experienced by various ethnic groups in Ethiopia, with a particular focus on the recent alleged massacre of civilians in the Amhara region. The organization reports on the Ethiopian government’s use of drone strikes in the region following the declaration of a state of emergency in August 2023, resulting in numerous civilian casualties.
Ethiopia’s Amhara region has been the target of over 100 drone attacks from August 2023 to January 2024. These attacks, acknowledged by Ethiopian Defence Chief FM Berhahu Jula, have resulted in significant civilian casualties and infrastructure damage. The use of drones, reportedly sponsored by the UAE and originating from various countries, including Turkey, Iran, and China, has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in the region. The attacks have targeted civilian areas, including residences, schools, hospitals, marketplaces, and religious sites, resulting in the tragic loss of hundreds of innocent lives and widespread injuries. Despite Ethiopia’s international commitments to protect civilians during times of conflict, the government’s actions have blatantly violated these agreements and exacerbated the already dire situation in the Amhara region.
We, the undersigned organizations of Ethiopians in the Diaspora, write this letter of appeal to request an urgent action by the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), UNHRC Member States, and the Delegation of the EU to the UN and Other International Organizations in Geneva to stop the ongoing human rights violations and genocide against the Amhara people of Ethiopia.
The genocide of Amhara commenced from as early as 1990 when the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) took power in Ethiopia with the ongoing and systematic massacre of ethnic Amhara and Agew people in Arsi, Harerghe; Benishangul-Gumuz, Metekel Zone, Southern region and in the forcefully annexed areas as west Tigray; Welkait-Tegede, Setit Humera and Raya.
