Getahun Tsegaye
Staff Reporter
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – U.S. State Department reports that in 2023, at least 248 people were killed by government forces using drones in Ethiopia’s Amhara region.
Drone strikes, according to the report, were carried out between August 4 and December 31, 2023. It is indicated that these strikes also reportedly destroyed critical infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, and water facilities.
The report, which covers Ethiopia’s human rights situation throughout 2023 and into early 2024, claims that at least 1,351 civilians were killed in the country during that period. A range of actors, including government forces, Eritrean troops, anti-government militias, and other unknown groups were reported to have participated in the killings.
During its recent yearly report, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) told the media house that the commission didn’t independently confirm the alleged drone strikes despite multiple local and international media reports.
The report notes that more than 70% of the attacks covered were allegedly carried out by government entities. In one specific incident on January 29, 2024, media reports cited in the document claim that at least 89 civilians were killed by government troops in the town of Merawi, near Bahir Dar, following a battle between government forces and Fano militias.
The report acknowledged that the 2022 Pretoria Agreement ended the two year bloody war between the federal government and the Tigray forces. It however said that continued abuses have been common due to violence by Eritrean troops and militia groups in the Tigray region. The report also detailed that despite the expiration of a prior state of emergency, widespread abuses were also common in Amhara and Oromia regions.
The report claims these campaigns resulted in numerous unlawful killings, including extrajudicial killings of civilians in many parts of the country.
The U.S. report also accuses the Ethiopian government of heavily suppressing freedom of the press. It alleges that the government’s respect for freedom of expression has deteriorated, particularly in response to the conflicts in Amhara and Oromia. It said journalists were detained indefinitely under the pretext of charges like “promoting terrorism and extremism” for coverage that did not align with the government’s narrative.
Furthermore, the report revealed widespread use of prolonged detention without charges was extensively practiced by the government which it said it failed to observe constitutional requirements related to arbitrary arrest and detention. Mass detention was reportedly a common practice during the year-long state of emergency.
Support Borkena : https://borkena.com/subscribe-borkena/
Join our Telegram Channel : t.me/borkena
Like borkena on Facebook
To submit Press Release, send submission to info@borkena.com
Add your business to Ethiopian Business Listing / Ethiopian Business Directory
Join the conversation. Follow us on X (Formerly Twitter) @zborkena to get the latest Ethiopian News updates regularly.
How did the reporter of this article come up with the number 248 killed by drone strikes in US State Department annual report? All I could find 12 killings attributed to drone strike, 10 in Shewa(Kewet 7 and 3 in Molale) and 2 in Wello regions. For me one human life lost in one human life too many. But we all would appreciate to know the arithmetic behind the 248 killings by drone strike.
Here is the link to the report of the US State Department I was looking at:
state.gov/reports/2024-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/ethiopia/
Yes, what was alleged to have taken place in many countries including Ethiopia was disturbing. There is nothing that justifies unlawful arrests, physical and psychological torture in prison, extrajudicial killings and disappearances. Coercion to silence dissent either. If you look into the report on each country you will notice that some countries were not cited for extrajudicial killings or arrests. But that does not make them countries of the rule of law as long as they coerce their civilians and hold no elections. Perfect example is Eritrea where no extrajudicial killings and disappearances were reported. But will that make that country where human rights are respected? Far from it. Let’s also take Djibouti as another example. There was one government critic who died right he was released from prison due severe beatings he received in jail. Will that make Djibouti an all cause lost country? Absolutely not.
But what was reported on Ethiopia is unsettling. It seems all warring factions are committing what can be described as crimes against humanity. The solution rests equally on the shoulders of these factions. They should lay down their guns and head to the dialogue table. Guns will never bring lasting solutions to the issues that have been bedeviling that country since 1974.