Toronto – Amhara Association of America (AAA) causality report on the conflict in the Amhara region of Ethiopia revealed that there were about 3,283 civilian casualties in connection with the conflict in the Amhara region.
Of these 2,592 civilians are reported dead and 691 are wounded. However, the report – which was released earlier this week – indicated that the number is only a “partial account of the true extent of the casualties.”
The government imposed a communication blackout in the region for over a year which the report highlighted.
“The documented atrocities and violations represent only a small fraction of the true scale of the violence, as the telecommunications blackout and security challenges hinder investigations and on-site access. ”
“The documented civilian massacres, extrajudicial killings, and other abuses constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity, as well as an extension of the decades-long (ongoing) Amhara Genocide in Ethiopia,” the Association said in the report.
The report covers the period between August 4th 2023 and August 4th 2024.
According to the Association, the Ethiopian Defense Force, Oromo Liberation Army, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and militia and anti-riot ( allied forces) were involved in the killings of civilians.
Local and international human rights organizations have been reporting about pervasive extrajudicial killings and drone strikes in the Amhara region.
AAA reported that there were “53 confirmed drone strikes targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, resulting in 551 civilian casualties, including 433 deaths and 118 injuries.”
Apart from the killings of civilians, government forces have been allegedly involved in rape in many parts of the Amhara region. At least 269 were raped in the region, according to AAA report.
The social and economic impact of the conflict has been devastating. According to some sources, more than five million students did not go to school in the past year and the trend is also continuing this year as well.
Despite the extensive rights abuse and dire humanitarian crisis in the Amhara region, the response from the International Community was rather negligible.
The Federal government launched the military campaign in August 2023 under the guise of “disarming the Fano forces.” However, reports from multiple sources seem to confirm that Fano forces grew much larger much larger than they were a year ago. And now they are making big moves including taking control of major towns in some parts of the region. According to a report from local sources, the Federal government is resorting again to drone attacks as infantry and mechanized military campaigns proved to be increasingly ineffective.
