Why limited international visibility of abuses affecting Amhara civilians matters – and what should be done

International media and policy brief
Aklog Birara
September 2026

Purpose and scope. This brief does not argue that Amhara civilians are the only victims of Ethiopia’s conflicts, nor does it equate the Amhara population with Fano or any armed organization. It calls for equal protection and scrutiny for civilians in Amhara, Tigray, Oromia, Afar and elsewhere, and for abuses by government forces and non-state armed groups alike to be investigated under the same standards.

Executive Summary

• Documented harm is serious. Human Rights Watch reports that the Amhara conflict continued through 2025 with war crimes and other serious abuses by warring parties, including civilian harm from drone strikes, abductions and killings, attacks on education, and severe constraints on humanitarian access. Amnesty International has separately documented mass arbitrary detention in Amhara.
• The information environment is constrained. Amnesty International and the Committee to Protect Journalists have documented arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearance allegations, accreditation and licensing restrictions, self-censorship, and pressure on journalists in Ethiopia. These constraints make conflict reporting slower, riskier and harder to verify.
• The danger of under-visibility is practical, not merely symbolic. When abuses are poorly documented or inconsistently covered, victims have less access to public attention, evidence is harder to preserve, humanitarian needs are easier to overlook, and perpetrators on all sides face weaker pressure for restraint and accountability.
• The stakes are national and regional. Renewed fighting in September 2026 has spread across Tigray, Amhara and Afar, while alliances among armed groups have broadened the conflict landscape. A prolonged multi-front war would deepen displacement, weaken institutions, increase cross-border tensions and endanger Ethiopia’s economic and political stability.
• The response should be rights-based and even-handed. International media, Ethiopian authorities, armed groups, the African Union, United Nations, European Union, United States and other partners should prioritize independent access, civilian protection, credible investigations, humanitarian access, press freedom and inclusive political dialogue.
  
  

1. What is documented in Amhara

The current concern is grounded in documented abuses, not in a claim that every allegation is verified. Human Rights Watch’s World Report 2026 states that the conflict between federal forces and Fano militias continued throughout 2025 and that warring parties committed war crimes and other serious abuses. It cites civilian deaths from drone strikes, abductions and killings of teachers, violence against aid workers and deep restrictions on humanitarian access. [1]

Amnesty International documented mass arbitrary detention in Amhara, reporting that thousands of civilians were rounded up beginning in September 2024 and that thousands remained arbitrarily detained into January 2025. Amnesty described international silence over those detentions as deeply concerning and called for public pressure for releases or lawful charges. [2]

Earlier independent investigations also documented attacks on healthcare. Human Rights Watch found that government forces killed or threatened health workers and patients, arbitrarily arrested patients, interfered with medical care and aid, and attacked medical transport in the Amhara conflict; it also documented abuses by Fano and other non-state actors. [3]

This record requires precision. Some allegations circulating online remain unverified, casualty figures can differ, and armed actors have incentives to shape narratives. Responsible advocacy should therefore distinguish verified findings, credible allegations and claims that still require independent investigation.

2. Why limited international visibility is dangerous

The central problem is not that “Western media never report on Amhara.” Major international outlets and rights organizations have reported on the conflict. The stronger, evidence-based concern is that sustained, on-the-ground and independently verifiable coverage is difficult and intermittent because access, security and press freedom are constrained.

• Evidence can disappear. Deaths, disappearances, detention, sexual violence, displacement and destruction are harder to document after witnesses flee, communications are cut, sites are altered or records are lost.
• Humanitarian needs can be underestimated. Low visibility can reduce urgency around food, health, displacement, education and protection needs, especially when many crises compete for international attention.
• Impunity can deepen. Public scrutiny is not a substitute for courts, but sustained documentation can preserve evidence, discourage abuse and increase pressure for credible investigations.
• Polarized narratives become stronger. When professional reporting is absent, partisan media, rumor and manipulated imagery can dominate. That can intensify ethnic fear and retaliatory violence.
• Democracy suffers. Citizens cannot meaningfully assess public policy, security operations or armed opposition conduct without reliable information. Press freedom is therefore part of conflict prevention, not a secondary issue.

The reporting constraints are themselves documented. Amnesty International reported in May 2026 that Ethiopian authorities had intensified pressure on independent media, including arbitrary arrests, alleged enforced disappearances, surveillance, revoked accreditation and license suspensions. Journalists interviewed by Amnesty described self-censorship and fear of reprisals. [4] CPJ has documented long-term detention and pressure on journalists whose work covered the Amhara conflict, including five journalists held for years on terrorism-related charges. [5]

3. Implications for Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa

Ethiopia’s territorial collapse is not predetermined, and it would be irresponsible to present it as inevitable. The credible warning is that several risk factors are accumulating at once: multi-front armed conflict, ethnic polarization, displacement, weakened civic space, impunity, humanitarian stress and involvement or alleged involvement of neighboring states.

The renewed northern fighting underscores the urgency. Human Rights Watch said on September 24, 2026 that hostilities had erupted across Tigray, Amhara and Afar and urged immediate civilian-protection measures and robust monitoring. Reuters likewise reported that fighting and allied armed-group activity had spread across the three regions, heightening fears of a broader Horn of Africa crisis. [6][7]

4. Recommendations

For international and Ethiopian media

• Build sustained reporting networks in Amhara rather than relying only on episodic coverage during major offensives.
• Fund and protect local journalists, translators and fixers; provide hostile-environment, digital-security and trauma-support resources.
• Use multiple-source verification, satellite imagery, geolocation and medical or humanitarian records where safe and appropriate.
• Separate civilians from armed actors in language: “Amhara” should not be used as a synonym for Fano, just as other ethnic populations should not be equated with political or armed organizations.
• Cover abuses by all parties under the same evidentiary standard and clearly label what is verified, alleged or disputed.

For the Ethiopian federal and regional authorities

• Guarantee safe, non-discriminatory access for independent journalists, humanitarian organizations and human-rights monitors to conflict-affected areas.
• Release journalists and civilians held arbitrarily, or promptly charge them with recognizable criminal offenses and provide full due-process protections.
• Investigate credible allegations of unlawful killings, indiscriminate or disproportionate strikes, torture, sexual violence, attacks on medical care and arbitrary detention; publish findings and prosecute where evidence supports charges.
• Preserve telecommunications access except where narrowly tailored restrictions are strictly necessary and lawful; broad shutdowns undermine civilian protection and verification.
• Pursue inclusive political dialogue alongside security measures, including mechanisms through which Amhara, Oromo, Tigrayan, Afar and other communities can raise grievances without violence.

For Fano and other armed groups

• Publicly commit to international humanitarian law, including distinction, proportionality and precautions to protect civilians.
• End abductions, killings of civilians, intimidation of teachers and aid workers, forced recruitment and attacks on civilian infrastructure.
• Permit independent humanitarian and media access and cooperate with credible investigations of alleged abuses by members or affiliated units.
• Avoid rhetoric that treats entire ethnic or political communities as enemies or legitimate targets.

For the African Union, United Nations, European Union, United States and other partners

• Treat civilian protection in Amhara as part of the same universal human-rights framework applied to Tigray, Oromia and other conflict zones.
• Support independent monitoring and evidence-preservation mechanisms with access to all affected regions.
• Use diplomatic engagement and, where lawful and evidence-based, targeted measures against individuals responsible for serious abuses or for obstructing humanitarian access – regardless of affiliation.
• Fund humanitarian operations, local civil society and independent journalism while safeguarding their political independence.
• Press all parties toward de-escalation, humanitarian access, prisoner protections and inclusive political negotiations rather than military maximalism.

For diaspora and civil-society advocates

• Document carefully and avoid circulating casualty claims, images or atrocity allegations that cannot be verified.
• Frame advocacy around equal civilian protection and universal standards rather than collective blame.
• Support independent journalists, victim documentation, legal aid and humanitarian relief.
• Create cross-community platforms in which Amhara, Tigrayan, Oromo, Afar and other civil-society voices can jointly demand protection and accountability.

5. The question of conscience and democratic credibility

The relevant historical lesson is not that former wartime enemies were simply “forgiven.” After the Second World War, accountability for grave crimes was followed by reconstruction, institutional reform and reintegration. The broader principle is that civilian populations should not be permanently condemned for the crimes, ideology or actions of governments and armed movements.

That principle should apply in Ethiopia today. Amhara civilians should not receive less protection because of assumptions about Fano, historical narratives or current political polarization. Tigrayan, Oromo, Afar and other civilians should be protected by the same standard. A right that depends on ethnicity, geopolitical convenience or media attention is not a universal right.

This is therefore more than an Amhara issue. It is a question of conscience, international human-rights credibility, democratic governance and Ethiopia’s ability to remain a functioning, plural political community. Preventing further fragmentation requires reducing impunity, widening civic space, protecting civilians and making peaceful political participation more credible than armed struggle.

Selected Sources

[1] Human Rights Watch, World Report 2026: Ethiopia (events of 2025). Link

[2] Amnesty International, “Urgent international action needed to end mass arbitrary detentions in the Amhara Region,” 28 Jan. 2025. Link

[3] Human Rights Watch, “If the Soldier Dies, It’s on You”: Attacks on Medical Care in Ethiopia’s Amhara Conflict, 3 July 2024. Link

[4] Amnesty International, “International community must act to safeguard press freedom ahead of national election,” 29 May 2026. Link

[5] Committee to Protect Journalists, “In Ethiopia, 5 journalists pressured to apologize for terrorism to win release,” 13 Aug. 2026. Link

[6] Human Rights Watch, “Ethiopia: Renewed Tigray Fighting Shows Need to Protect Civilians,” 24 Sept. 2026. Link

[7] Reuters, “Flights suspended to Ethiopian holy town of Lalibela as fighting expands,” 24 Sept. 2026. Link

[8] Human Rights Watch, “2025 Human Rights Roadmap for the African Union,” 12 May 2025 (notes limited regional/international response to the Amhara crisis). Link

Prepared as a media and policy briefing. It is intended to support evidence-based reporting and civilian protection, not to endorse any political party, armed group or military outcome.

Editor’s Note: Views in the article do not necessarily reflect the views of borkena.com  

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