By Ztruth
Introduction
In an appalling and calculated campaign of terror, the Prosperity Party-led Ethiopian government under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has weaponized its military power to wage an assault on the very foundation of Amhara society: its schools and educational institutions. These deliberate attacks have transformed places of learning into sites of death and destruction, systematically targeting students, teachers, and the infrastructure meant to cultivate the minds of future generations. This is not collateral damage in a conflict—it is a premeditated strategy to annihilate the Amhara people’s prospects for progress by stripping them of access to education, a cornerstone of human dignity and development.
By targeting schools with drone strikes and other military assaults, the government has made clear its intention to dismantle the intellectual and cultural future of the Amhara people. The relentless bombardments, which have killed countless children, teachers, and civilians, are not isolated acts of violence. They are part of a larger genocidal campaign designed to erase the Amhara identity by ensuring that their youth remain uneducated, vulnerable, and unable to rebuild their society. This targeted eradication of education is not just a war crime but a crime against humanity, striking at the heart of the Amhara community’s ability to survive and thrive.
This systematic destruction serves as a chilling reminder that this is not merely a conflict over territory or governance—it is an existential attack aimed at erasing an entire people’s future. Schools, symbols of hope and progress, have become battlegrounds in a campaign of fear, oppression, and dehumanization. The Prosperity Party’s actions have crossed every moral boundary, marking this campaign as one of the darkest chapters in modern history. The world must recognize these atrocities for what they are: an unforgivable and deliberate act of genocide.
For more than a year till Today, a devastating series of drone strikes specifically targeted schools across the Amhara region, killing teachers, students, and community members in acts of unthinkable cruelty. This article highlights only a few of these heinous incidents—mere fragments of the widespread destruction inflicted on the region’s educational institutions. Far from isolated tragedies, these attacks are irrefutable evidence of a genocidal campaign aimed at erasing the Amhara identity and obliterating its future by dismantling the region’s access to education.
It is critical to emphasize that the atrocities documented here reflects only a fraction of the atrocities committed. The vast and diverse Amhara region has borne the brunt of relentless drone attacks that remain largely undocumented due to the challenges of accessing reliable information from war-torn areas. The deliberate destruction of schools across this expansive region serves as part of a broader strategy of genocide—one that seeks to cripple the intellectual, cultural, and social foundations of the Amhara people
Education as a Target: Destroying the Foundations of a People
Schools, sanctuaries of learning and hope, have been turned into deliberate targets in a genocidal campaign against the Amhara people. These attacks are not mere acts of war but calculated assaults aimed at instilling terror, dismantling communities, and destroying the very foundation of Amhara society. By targeting institutions meant to empower future generations, the Oromo Prosperity of Ethiopian government is waging a war not only against the present but against the very existence and identity of the Amhara people. This systematic destruction is a chilling strategy to erase their future and silence their voice for generations to come.
Key Incidents of School Attacks
1. Dagi Secondary School, October 12, 2024: Bombed in North Mecha Dagi Town, Gojjam, depriving hundreds of students of their right to education
2. Dimma Primary School, September 25, 2024: Destroyed by a drone strike in Fagta Lekoma Woreda, Gojjam, leaving the community in shock.
3. Abro Menor Primary School, October 11, 2024: Targeted and destroyed in South Mecha Woreda, Gojjam, as part of a series of attacks on civilian infrastructure.
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4. Raya Kobo Keyu Garia School, October 23, 2024: A drone strike killed two civilians and injured six others in North Wollo, Amhara Region.
5. Afesa Secondary School, October 17, 2024: Eight people killed and seven injured in Dangla Woreda, Gojjam, in a drone attack that also claimed livestock.
6. Sekela Yidb Secondary School, The Prosperity Party forces deliberately vandalized Sekela Yidb Secondary School, destroying chairs, tables, laboratories, and burning books, leaving the schools in ruins.
Collateral Loss: Beyond the Classroom
• Motta, October 15, 2024: A school on the Bahir Dar Road was bombed, injuring five civilians, including two women.
• Jhur General Secondary School, October 24, 2024: Drone attacks near the school killed several civilians and injured ten.
• Wadera Primary School, November 6, 2024: Seven family members were killed in Tilili Town during a targeted strike.
The Toll on Teachers and Students
In addition to infrastructure loss, these attacks have claimed the lives of countless educators and children. Teachers, often the backbone of rural Amhara communities, have been killed in strikes, leaving villages without educational leadership. Students, who represent the future, have been killed or severely traumatized, ensuring a long-term void in the community’s intellectual capital.
Specific Impact on Children
• Dimma Primary School: Hundreds of children now lack a place to learn. • Afesa Secondary School: Several students were killed and injured, with livestock also destroyed, devastating the local economy.
A Broader Genocidal Strategy
The systematic targeting of schools aligns with broader patterns of genocide and atrocities committed against the Amhara people. Destroying educational institutions is a strategic move to:
1. Eradicate Knowledge: By targeting schools, the Ethiopian government aims to suppress education and critical thinking in the Amhara community.
2. Inflict Generational Trauma: Killing children and teachers sends a chilling message to the Amhara population, deterring them from rebuilding.
3. Ensure Economic Collapse: Without education, communities are deprived of a skilled workforce, ensuring perpetual poverty and dependence.
War Crimes and Violations of International Law
The deliberate targeting of schools is a violation of international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions, which prohibit attacks on civilian infrastructure. These actions also meet the criteria for war crimes and genocide under international statutes, as they aim to destroy the Amhara people through calculated cultural and physical destruction.
A Call for Accountability
The international community cannot ignore these atrocities. The deliberate targeting of Amhara schools is a war crime and an act of genocide. Documenting and reporting these crimes is a crucial step toward holding the perpetrators accountable. However, without global action, these attacks will continue, and the Amhara people will face an even bleaker future.
Conclusion: A Fractured Future
The destruction of schools in the Amhara region is more than an attack on buildings—it is an assault on hope, identity, and the future of an entire people. The deaths of teachers and students, coupled with the loss of educational infrastructure, ensure that the scars of this violence will last for generations.
As the world watches, the Amhara people are being systematically denied their right to education and existence. It is time for the international community to step in, demand justice, and end the genocide before more lives and futures are destroyed.
Editor’s note : Views in the article do not necessarily reflect the views of borkena.com
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