ETHDefenders
Violence, displacement, and political exclusion are pushing one of Ethiopia’s foundational communities toward an existential crisis.
In recent years, the suffering inflicted upon the Amhara people has reached an alarming level. Persistent violence, mass displacement, and deepening political marginalization have raised serious concerns about the survival of one of Ethiopia’s most historically significant communities—and about the future stability of the country itself.
The Amhara people have long played a central role in the formation of the Ethiopian state and in the development of its political, cultural, and social institutions. For generations, they have contributed to nation-building and coexistence across ethnic and religious lines. Yet today, the gap between the political position Amharas believe they deserve within Ethiopia’s federal system and the reality they face has widened dramatically.
Over the past five decades from Bedenomassacre to Shashemenemassacre, abuses against Amhara communities have increasingly taken the form of systematic violence, forced displacement, and exclusion from multiple regions. Critics argue that these patterns amount to organized ethnic cleansing, carried out under changing political arrangements but driven by a consistent objective: weakening the Amhara presence across Ethiopia.
At the center of the current tensions is the federal government, which many Amhara activists accuse of being dominated by extremist elements within Oromo political elites. Addis Abeba—the nation’s capital and the seat of the federal government—has become a focal point of controversy. Policies aimed at altering the city’s demographic character have displaced long-time residents, stripped individuals of property rights, and intensified fears that Amharas are being deliberately pushed out of the capital.
Beyond displacement, demographic decline has become a growing concern. Killings, arbitrary detention, destruction of property, and forced migration have become recurring experiences for Amhara communities in several regions. Human trafficking—particularly the movement of young Amhara women to the Middle East—has also been cited by critics as a factor undermining the community’s future by disrupting family formation and generational continuity.
The re-emergence of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), following its removal from power through a nationwide uprising, has further heightened anxiety. Territorial disputes involving Wolkait, Raya, Humera, Tsegede, and Tselemt, combined with efforts to politically rehabilitate figures accused of grave human rights abuses, have deepened fears of renewed instability and impunity.
International involvement has likewise drawn sharp criticism. Many Amhara commentators argue that Western engagement—particularly by the United States—has been guided primarily by geopolitical interests rather than genuine concern for civilian suffering. From this perspective, the Amhara are often viewed as an obstacle to external influence, leading to policies that weaken their political and social standing rather than promote inclusive and sustainable peace.
Meanwhile, domestic opposition has intensified. Government interference in the affairs of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church sparked widespread public outrage and became a rallying point for broader resistance. Across the country, calls of “Enough is enough” have echoed among communities frustrated by what they perceive as authoritarian governance and ethnic favoritism.
In response, Amhara communities are increasingly mobilizing—politically, socially, and through alternative media platforms. Supporters frame this mobilization as an existential struggle, arguing that safeguarding Amhara survival is inseparable from rescuing Ethiopia itself from a deepening national crisis.
The Amhara people, proponents emphasize, are a community that has historically coexisted with others and contributed decisively to nation-building. They now see self-defense—political, cultural, and social—not as a choice, but as a historical obligation. From this perspective, Ethiopia’s path out of its current turmoil begins with guaranteeing the security, dignity, and equal participation of the Amhara people within the state.
Editor’s Note : Views in the article do not necessarily reflect the views of borkena.com
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Commonsense solution: stop listening to shabbyYa and cc. I.e. if you really care about my people. Prob is you are after power and loot.
I liked the article.
” Safeguarding Amhara Survival is inseparable from rescuing Ethiopia itself from a deepening national crisis”.
My brief and quickly prepared 3 PDF documents sheds light on the Amhara politics. My PDF documents that can be accessed through my Telegram MGAZ9 link are :
1) Racism and the Oromo politics.
2) Overlap.
3) The Meaning of Abiy Ahmed’s የመደመር መንግሥት .
Many Amharas in the past were deceived by the Ethiopiawinet slogans, while the Oromos and the tigryans were silently building and strengthening their Ethnic politics. Blinded by Ethiopian nationalism, the Amharas then were unable to see their Oromo and tigre enemies of today. When the hidden ethnic politics of the Oromos and the tigryans became public, the Amharas got confused and lost grounds.
The priority for the Amharas now is the survival of the Amhara people globally. The tigryans and the Oromos are the only enemies of the Amhara people that are organizing other ethnic groups against the Amhara people.
As to Ethiopia and ethiopiawinet, it is only the Amharas that can rescue Ethiopia from crisis. But, the Amharas must first free themselves from subjugation and establish strong Amhara base to operate from.
The Oromos and the tigryans are preaching superstitions and propagands in their echo chambers.
If united, the Amharas can defeat both the tigryans and the Oromos Militarily and politically. The Amharas can nullify the EPRDF – PP ethnocentric political system and constitution, and replace it with a civic federal system and a new constitution that requires each member of the federation to use Amharic and the member states language as a working language. For example, in a majority Oromo region of the federation, Amharic and Oromo languages will be used equally as working languages of the region.
The strength of an iron is until it is burned with fire. In today’s politics, the use of force have no alternative.
Amharas will be victorious in their struggle for survival. The Amharas must fight and restore their rights to all the lands taken from them by the Oromos and Tigrians. While conducting a legitimate fighting for their rights and survival, the Amharas must know that these Oromo and Tigrian separatist thugs are always neighbors and remains neighbors until the end times. As Desalegn Birara explained in his Borkena article titled ” The Course and Curse of the Amhara politics”, the Amharas must use violence and mob actions to advance their cause.
It is only the Amharas that have a clear agenda to rescue Ethiopia from the cancerous Ethnic politics of the Oromos and the Tigrians. The war between the Oromos and the Tigrians was and is a war for power. The EPRDF – PP agenda will always remain the same. The only language the Oromos and the Tigrians understand is the language of force. If the Tigrians take welkait and raya, the Oromos will demand gojam and wello. These Oromo and Tigrian monstrous thugs desire to eliminate the Amharas must be thwarted and stopped by a strong Amhara fighting force. The Amharas can fight and defeat both the Oromos and the Tigrians.
Ethiopia needs a new constitution that guarantees justice, human rights, and civil rights. Ethiopia’s new constitution must guarantee private ownership of land. Ethiopia needs a new federal system similar to that of the United States of America. In the newly anticipated federation of Ethiopia, while the official language of the federal government remains Amharic, member states must use Amharic and their local language equally as official working languages of their state without any discrimination and limitations. In the newly anticipated federation of Ethiopia, the EPRDF – PP ethnocentric political ideologies must be rejected and prohibited by law. The era of seeking political power through ethnic allegiance and ethnic loyalty must end. The Oromo and the Tigrian ethnocentric political ideology is a cancerous disease. With their few numbers, the Tigrians are digging their own graves. The Oromos reliance on their large numbers, and their wild and brutal nature, will do nothing but make them lose what they already had through deception. We know how the Oromos got to where they are today. The Amharas will defeat the Oromos.
The Amhara people must understand that the EPRDF – PP ethnocentric regime has an Oromo army dedicated and willing to protect the Oromo regime of Abiy Ahmed. The Oromo Clan based structure is very cohesive and willing to protect the Oromo regime of Abiy Ahmed. So, the Amharas must prepare to fight a bloody battle. The large size of the Oromos and their ethnic allegiance and cohesiveness will prolong the war. The Oromos through Bacha Debele have also prepared a detailed guerrilla warfare handbook to defeat the Amhara guerrilla fighters. Well, what the Oromo regime can do through its guerrilla warfare experts is try to starve the Amhara guerrilla fighters. The Amharas are believed to have some experience in guerrilla warfare, flanking, encirclement, ambush, interception, protracted war, war of attrition, etc.
The Amharas must also know that the Oromos are savages, atrocious, barbaric, and brutal. It is their clothes and school certificates that gives a civilized look to the Oromos. The Dinka people in Sudan are much like the Oromos in Ethiopia.
Out of everything they are known for, the Turkana people in Kenya are a very compassionate people.
Any competent person can compare the behavior of the Turkana people in Kenya, and the Oromo people in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia’s National Dialogue Commission is a hoax. ENDC is another tool that Abiy Ahmed is using to extend the life of the EPRDF – PP ethnocentric political system. The EPRDF – PP ethnocentric political system is at its peak and must be replaced with a new system, or it will regress and causes destruction. Abiy’s delusional grandeur is already causing the death of millions of Amharas. What can solve Ethiopia’s problem is a new constitution. The regime of Abiy Ahmed must be replaced with a transitional government. The primary mission of the transitional government is to prepare a new constitution for Ethiopia. Ethiopia needs a federal system similar to that of the USA. The transitional government must request economic and military assistance from the USA. If agreed, the USA need to send American troops as advisors to assist the transitional government. The existing Police force must continue its duties during and after the transitional government. Ethiopia’s National Defense Forces must be replaced. Bloodshed cannot buy loyalty.
– In the new constitution, Ethiopia must be governed by the principles of human rights.
– The new constitution must guarantee justice, human rights, civil rights, and private ownership of land.
– In the new constitution, Ethiopia needs to be restructured and modeled after the USA federal system.
– In the new constitution, member states to the new Ethiopian federation must use Amharic and their local language equally without any discrimination and limitations as working languages of their state.
– In the new constitution, Ethnic based political organizations must be prohibited by law.
– In the new constitution, Oromo and Tigrian politicians must be prohibited by law from participating in any separatist activities globally.
– The new constitution must guarantee private ownership of land.
– …