To all international political institutions, diplomatic missions, human rights organizations, and global media outlets.
URGENT AND IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED: STOP THE GENOCIDAL ATROCITIES AGAINST THE AMHARA PEOPLE IN ETHIOPIA
From: International Amhara Task Force (IATF), a global alliance of Amhara associations and Ethiopian diaspora communities.
Dear Sirs and Madams,
The International Amhara Task Force (IATF) urgently implores you to confront the rapidly escalating humanitarian and human rights catastrophe engulfing the Amhara people in Ethiopia. We can no longer remain silent as a deliberate and systematic campaign of violence, ethnic persecution, and structural exclusion intensifies, meeting the very definition of a protracted and ongoing genocide.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, in close coordination with extremist Oromo factions within the ruling Prosperity Party, the violence against Amhara has reached a terrifying new level of brutality. Fuelled by a dangerous resurgence of anti-Amhara rhetoric – echoing historical patterns of persecution – and the implementation of discriminatory state policies, the regime appears intent on the systematic fragmentation and destruction of the Amhara people.
The reality on the ground is a nightmare: Across the Amhara regions of Gojjam, Gondar, Wollo, and Shewa, our people are under relentless, daily attack. The Ethiopian state is deploying advanced drone technology, sourced from Turkey, China, and the United Arab Emirates, not only against the Fano self-defence forces bravely fighting against state-sponsored terror for their survival, but also with indiscriminate cruelty against defenceless civilians – our mothers, our children, our elders.
These state-sanctioned terror attacks are deliberately targeting essential civilian infrastructure: schools, churches, hospitals, cultural heritage sites, and vital community facilities. Compounding these horrors are credible and deeply alarming reports of the use of chemical weapons, a flagrant violation of international law and a chilling escalation of this genocidal campaign. This is unequivocally a war waged by the Ethiopian state, dominated by extremist Oromo elements, with the explicit aim of annihilating the Amhara people.
The massacre of April 17, 2025, in the East Gojjam Zone, where a drone strike on a school murdered over 120 individuals, the majority of them children, stands as a horrific testament to this barbarity. This atrocity was documented by the BBC and the World Council of Churches (WCC), yet the international response remains woefully inadequate.
Since 2019, the Amhara people throughout Ethiopia have endured a comprehensive and relentless campaign of extermination, characterized by:
● Mass killings with impunity
● Forced expulsions from ancestral lands
● Arbitrary arrests and prolonged detentions without due process
● Systematic torture and inhumane treatment
● Enforced disappearances leaving families in agonizing uncertainty
These crimes against humanity are particularly concentrated in Oromia and Benishangul-Gumuz, where Amhara communities are being deliberately targeted for elimination.
Since the overt escalation of this war against the Amhara in 2021, the silence and inaction of the international community have been deafening. The scale and savagery of these crimes are not just reminiscent of genocide; they threaten to surpass the horrors of Rwanda. The solemn promise of “Never again” has been shamefully betrayed.
Therefore, the International Amhara Task Force (IATF) demands immediate and decisive action from the international community, its institutions, and governments:
1. Unequivocally condemn the ongoing state-sponsored genocide against the Amhara people through public statements at the highest levels.
2. Demand that the Ethiopian government immediately cease all forms of violence, including drone attacks and the use of prohibited weapons, against the Amhara population.
3. Support and fund an independent international investigation into all war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the alleged use of chemical weapons, to hold perpetrators accountable.
4. Impose immediate and targeted sanctions on Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and all individuals within the Ethiopian government and military command structure involved in the planning, execution, and enabling of these atrocities.
5. Actively work with international partners to establish robust protection mechanisms for the vulnerable civilian population in the Amhara region.
6. Provide immediate and substantial humanitarian aid to the devastated Amhara communities.
7. Actively support initiatives to bring the perpetrators of these heinous crimes to justice through the International Criminal Court and other relevant international legal mechanisms.
The documented evidence of these atrocities is mounting, as even the limited reports from international media confirm the immense suffering:
1. https://allafrica.com/stories/202504240267.html
2. https://addisstandard.com/drone-strike-in-amharas-ambasel-district-kills-three-children aunt- amid-escalating-clashes/?amp=1
3. https://www.thereporterethiopia.com/43155/
4. https://www.oikoumene.org/news/wcc-condemns-drone-attack-in-ethiopia 5. https://www.amharaamerica.org/post/education-under-siege-the-state-of-education-in the- ongoing-amhara-war-in-ethiopia
We mourn the countless lives lost, the systematic destruction of our cultural heritage, and the devastation of entire Amhara communities. Yet, amidst this profound grief, our resolve remains unbreakable. We stand united and determined to defend our people, our history, and our very existence.
In the name of justice, humanity, and the fundamental right to life, the time for decisive action is NOW.
With profound sorrow and unwavering determination,
The International Amhara Task Force (IATF)
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