By Naod Hailu
The Amhara people have been engulfed in unbearable suffering over the past decades. After the EPRDF regime, dominated by the TPLF , stormed to power in 1991, it institutionalized an objective enemy narrative conditioned by a fear-driven thesis that targeted the Amhara people. This strategy which had embedded into the very structure of the system resulted in inflicting deep and lasting atrocities against them. Abiy Ahmed’s ascendance to power in 2018 further intensified the agony of the people and posing a profound existential threat to their survival.
Under his administration, a series of appalling massacres have been perpetrated against Amhara people in Tole, Guliso, Babo Gembel district, Gimbi district, Burayu, Shashemene, Wollega, Arsi Zone, Metekel, Mai-Kadra, Kobo, Ataye, and other places. The brutality is going on without restraint as the reason for the attack is grounded on deliberate assault driven by hatred against Amhara people. This article unveils some of the horrible massacres committed against Amhara people in Oromia and beyond, which have been ignored by the international community.
Patterns of Massacres in Oromia Region
Both Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International documented the abhorrent Tole massacre, in which over 400 Amhara civilians were horrifically killed within eight hours across villages in Tole on June 28, 2020.[1] Human Rights Watch also reported identity-based attacks against Amhara people following the death of Oromo singer Hachalu Hundessa in 2020.[2] The institution further documented massacres in Guliso in early November 2020, Babo Gembel in March 2021, and Gimbi district in June 2022.[3] The Amhara people have also been targeted multiple times in Arsi Zone.
The recent identity-based attack in the Arsi, where dozens of Orthodox Christian believers were killed in late October 2025, epitomizes the repeated targeting of Amhara people. Unidentified attackers killed more than 25 believers in this incident.[4] Similar attacks have occurred previously; for example, dozens of Orthodox Christians were killed in November 2023.[5] Despite these massacres, the regime does not allow the third party to investigate the atrocities. The refusal to allow independent investigations clearly indicates its complicity by shielding the perpetrators. Such obstruction represents a grave breach of international law and amounts to a war crime.
Being ethnically Amhara in Abiy’s administration has also resulted in continuous forced evictions that serve a broader goal of reshaping population patterns to entrench majority control. In this regard, Oromia has become a burning ground for Amharas, where millions have been evicted and left destitute. OCHA, for example, reported that an estimated 500,000 people were displaced from western Oromia in 2022. [6] The manner in which people are evicted is often horrific. In the Tole massacre, for instance, the attackers burned five villages to forcibly remove residents, constituting ethnic cleansing. Amnesty International documented this destruction through satellite imagery.[7] The Oromia regional government also demolished houses and forcefully evicted people in Sheger City (adjacent areas of Addis Ababa). [8] Most of the victims in such destruction were Amhara people. [9]
The Atrocities beyond Oromia Region
Amhara people have also been brutally killed outside of the Oromia region. They have faced blatant atrocities including summary executions, gang rape, and other forms of sexual violence by Tigrayan forces during the northern war. Just to mention some of the incidents, the Tigrayan forces summarily executed at least 24 Amhara civilians in and around Kobo on September 9, 2020.[10] They also carried out summary executions in Chenna between August 31 and September 4, 2021.[11] Furthermore, hundreds of Amhara people were appallingly massacred in a single night in Mai-Kadra in 2020, where knives and axes were used to kill victims.[12] Amharas have also been subjected to repeated identity-based attacks in the Benishangul-Gumuz region.[13]
The War in Amhara Region
In August 2023, Abiy realized his ambition of turning the Amhara region into a war-torn territory by launching war against the people. The regime deployed soldiers as Fano began a defensive armed struggle to counter the existential threat posed on Amhara people. Since then, government forces have deliberately inflicted suffering through mass killings, extrajudicial executions, sexual violence, torture, and mass arbitrary detentions of civilians. The regime has used more than 100 unmanned drones and carried out airstrikes that have caused massive civilian casualties. ACLED recorded 73 drone or airstrikes, 30 of which lacked third-party confirmation.[14] Meanwhile, Amhara Association of America (AAA) recorded 152 strikes between August 4, 2023, and December 30, 2024.[15] The regime does not distinguish between combatants and civilians resulting in devastating casualties across the region, including Debre Birehan, Finote Selam, Gedeb, Gualafto. The drone attack that killed over 100 civilians in Gedeb town in April 2025 was among the deadliest since August 2023.[16]
In addition to drone strikes, government forces have summarily executed civilians. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch documented the killing of several dozen civilians during door-to-door raids in Merawi in January 2025.[17] Similar killings also occurred in Bahir Dar City.[18] These barbaric acts continue across the region. Government forces have also committed rape and other forms of sexual violence. The BBC reported, based on testimonies from victims and medical professionals, that ten thousands of women were raped or assaulted in areas where government forces have been deployed since the war began in August 2023. [19]
Beyond the loss of life and sexual violence, the regime has deliberately targeted civilian infrastructure including residential areas, schools, hospitals, and religious institutions through drone and heavy artillery strikes. The destruction of health facilities and schools poses long-term threats to the well-being of the Amhara people. Human Rights Watch revealed that the regime’s military operations damaged health facilities and killed health workers and patients in the region.[20] BBC Amharic reported, citing eyewitnesses, that a recent drone strike damaged a health center and killed four civilians, including a pregnant woman, injuring more than ten others in Gubalafto Woreda of the North Wollo Zone on September 27, 2025.[21]The destruction of schools is equally alarming. Children are unable to attend school due to unaccountable military operations, severely undermining long-term human development. UNOCHA reported that more than 4,000 schools have closed, leaving over four million children out of school in the region.[22] This will create lasting psychological trauma and generational instability for the Amhara people.
All in all, the scale of aforementioned assaults exceeds what has been documented, as the regime continues to conceal atrocities and reject independent investigations. The massacres against the Amhara people constitute a well-orchestrated, identity-based campaign carried out with clear intent, amounting to crimes against humanity, war crimes, and acts with genocidal intent. These actions meet the legal criteria under the Geneva Convention (1949). However, the international community has remained silent in acknowledging these atrocities and taking meaningful action to pressure the regime to allow independent investigations and ensure accountability for the perpetrators. Since its silence only intensifies the atrocities, it should open its blind eyes and fulfil its moral and legal responsibility by imposing strong sanctions on the regime.
Reference
[1]. Human Rights Watch (May 9, 2024). Ethiopia: Joint Submission to the Universal Periodic Review. See https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/05/09/ethiopia-joint-submission-universal-periodic-review. See also Amnesty International ( July, 21, 2022). Ethiopia: Authorities must investigate massacre of ethnic Amhara in Tole https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/07/ethiopia-authorities-must-investigate-massacre-of-ethnic-amhara-in-tole/
[2]. Human Rights Watch (May 20, 2024). Ethiopia: Joint Submission to the Universal Periodic Review https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/05/09/ethiopia-joint-submission-universal-periodic-review
[3]. Human Rights Watch (July 24, 2024). Ethiopia’s Other Conflict Ethiopia’s Tigray War Overshadows Ongoing Cycles of Violence in Oromia
https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/07/04/ethiopias-other-conflict
[4]. APA News (October 29, 2025). Over 25 civilians massacred in Oromia – Ethiopian church. https://apanews.net/over-25-civilians-massacred-in-oromia-ethiopian-church-group/
[5]. VOA (November 30, 2023). በሺርካ ወረዳ ሃይማኖት የለየ በተባለ ጥቃት 36 ምእመናን ሲገደሉ ቀሪዎቹ እንደሸሹ ተገለጸ https://amharic.voanews.com/a/east-arsi-killing/7378932.html
[6]. OCHA (June 27, 202). Ethiopia – Humanitarian Update Situation Report, 27 Jun 2022
https://reliefweb.int/report/ethiopia/ethiopia-humanitarian-update-situation-report-27-jun-2022
[7]. Amnesty International ( July, 21, 2022). Ethiopia: Authorities must investigate massacre of ethnic Amhara in Tole https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/07/ethiopia-authorities-must-investigate-massacre-of-ethnic-amhara-in-tole/
[8]. Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (March 31, 2023) በኦሮሚያ ክልል በሸገር ከተማ እየተካሄደ ያለው ቤቶችን የማፍረስ እና በግዳጅ ማስነሳት እርምጃ የመኖሪያ ቤት አልባነትን አባብሷል. https://ehrc.org/በኦሮሚያ-ክልል በሸገር-ከተማ-እየተካሄደ/
[9]. Amhara Association of America (May 14, 2023) Home Demolitions and Forced Evictions of Amharas in the Newly Established Sheger City Administration (https://www.amharaamerica.org/post/forced-evictions-and-home-demolitions-of-amharas-in-sheger-city-oromia-region
[10]. Amnesty International. ETHIOPIA: SUMMARY KILLINGS, RAPE AND LOOTING BY TIGRAYAN FORCES IN AMHARA.
https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/AFR2552182022ENGLISH.pdf
[11]. Ibid
[12]. Amnesty International (November 12, 2020). Ethiopia: Investigation reveals evidence that scores of civilians were killed in massacre in Tigray state
[13]. Amnesty International (December 23, 2020). Ethiopia: At least 100 dead in latest surge of violence against ethnic minorities. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/press-release/2020/12/ethiopia-at-least-100-dead-surge-of-violence-against-ethnic-minorities/
[14].ACLED (April 20, 2025). Ethiopia situation update (30 April 2025) https://acleddata.com/update/ethiopia-situation-update-30-april-2025
[15]. Amhara Association of America (January 3, 2025). Summary of recent recorded drone and air strikes in Amhara Region, Ethiopia. https://www.amharaamerica.org/post/summary-of-recent-recorded-drone-and-air-strikes-in-amhara-region-ethiopia
[16]. ACLED (April 30, 2025). Ethiopia situation update (30 April 2025). https://acleddata.com/update/ethiopia-situation-update-30-april-2025
Addis Standard ( April 24, 2025) More than 100 people killed in drone strike in East Gojjam zone, Amhara region; eyewitnesses report civilian casualties. https://addisstandard.com/more-than-100-people-killed-in-drone-strike-in-east-gojam-zone-amhara-region-eyewitnesses-report-civilian-casualties/?amp=1
[17]. Amnesty International (April 12, 2024). Ethiopia: Merawi killings should be independently investigated. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/04/ethiopia-merawi-killings-should-be-independently-investigated/ see also Human Right Watch (April 4, 2024).Ethiopia: Military Executes Dozens in Amhara Region. https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/04/04/ethiopia-military-executes-dozens-amhara-region
[18]. Amnesty International (February 26, 2024). Ethiopia: End extrajudicial Executions in Amhara region, bring perpetrators to justice https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/02/ethiopia-end-extrajudicial-executions-in-amhara-region-bring-perpetrators-to-justice/
[19]. BBC (November 19, 2025). ‘It would have better if they’d killed me’: A forgotten war destroying women’s lives https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2p8dpw1rwo
[20]. Human Rights Watch (July 3, 2024). “If the Soldier Dies, It’s on You”Attacks on Medical Care in Ethiopia’s Amhara Conflict https://www.hrw.org/report/2024/07/03/if-soldier-dies-its-you/attacks-medical-care-ethiopias-amhara-conflict
[21]. BBC Amharic ( September 30, 2025). በሰሜን ወሎ ጤና ጣቢያ ላይ በተፈፀመ የድሮን ጥቃት አራት ሰላማዊ ሰዎች ሲገደሉ 10 ሰዎች ደግሞ መቁሰላቸውን የዓይን እማኞች ተናገሩ. https://www.bbc.com/amharic/articles/cj4y0jnvnk8o
[22]. https://x.com/OCHA_Ethiopia/status/1784862688440721577
Editor’s Note : Views in the article do not necessarily reflect the views of borkena.com
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