A coalition 20 Civil Society Organizations Demand International Action to Stop Genocide of Amhara in Ethiopia

A coalition of 20 civil society organizations and associations has issued an open letter to the international community, urgently calling for immediate action to stop what they describe as the Genocide of Amhara in Ethiopia. The letter, dated October 21, 2024, highlights ongoing human rights violations and atrocities being committed by the Ethiopian government under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, targeting Amhara civilians through drone strikes, mass detentions, and systematic repression.

Escalating Conflict and Impunity

The open letter condemns the Ethiopian government’s use of military force, including drones and heavy artillery, to target civilians in the Amhara region. The organizations argue that Abiy Ahmed’s administration has initiated a “scorched-earth policy” aimed at annihilating Amhara communities, resulting in thousands of deaths, mass displacement, and widespread destruction of property, including vital infrastructure such as schools and hospitals.

The letter references a recent report by Human Rights Watch (HRW), which was presented at the UN General Assembly in September 2024. The report documented the Ethiopian military’s ongoing war crimes in the Amhara region, including the summary execution of civilians, sexual violence, and deliberate attacks on healthcare facilities. HRW found that since August 2023, over 2,000 civilians have been killed in Amhara alone, and the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate.

The civil society organizations express deep concern over the failure of the international community, particularly the UN Human Rights Council, to hold the Ethiopian government accountable. They note that despite the severity of the crisis, the international response has been limited, and there has been little recognition of what they describe as the Amhara genocide.

International Double Standards

The letter criticizes what it views as a double standard in the international community’s response to ethnic conflicts in Ethiopia. The undersigned organizations point out that the international outcry following the Tigray conflict was swift, with world leaders, including USAID head Samantha Power, quickly recognizing and condemning the atrocities in Tigray. However, the ongoing violence against the Amhara people has not received the same level of attention or action, despite extensive documentation by human rights organizations such as Amnesty International, HRW, and the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention.

The coalition argues that this bias undermines the long-term stability and security of Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa, urging international policymakers to take a more balanced approach in addressing human rights violations in the country.

Humanitarian Crisis Worsening

The letter also underscores the dire humanitarian situation in the Amhara region, where millions of civilians are affected by the conflict. The closure of over 4,000 schools across the region has disrupted the education of more than one million Amhara children, an act the letter describes as “educational genocide.” This disruption threatens to have a multigenerational impact on the region, depriving future generations of opportunities for development and exacerbating poverty.

Civil society groups are calling for unrestricted humanitarian access to provide aid to those in need, including food, medical supplies, and shelter. They accuse the Ethiopian government of diverting international aid funds to finance its military operations, using foreign exchange to acquire drones and weapons instead of supporting the millions of Ethiopians suffering from the conflict.

Calls for International Accountability

The open letter makes several key demands of the international community, including the immediate cessation of drone warfare targeting Amhara civilians and the establishment of independent mechanisms to investigate and prosecute war crimes and genocide in Ethiopia. The groups call on the UN Security Council, the International Criminal Court (ICC), and other international bodies to take “credible steps” to hold Ethiopian leaders accountable, including Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and senior military officials.

The groups call on the UN Security Council, the International Criminal Court (ICC), and other international bodies to take “credible steps” to hold Ethiopian leaders accountable, including Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and senior military officials.

The civil society organizations also urge Western governments, including the Biden administration, European Union members, and the UK, to reevaluate their relationships with Ethiopia and stop funding a regime they accuse of committing atrocities against its own people.

As the conflict in Ethiopia deepens, the signatories of the letter argue that international silence is no longer an option. They warn that failing to act will embolden the Ethiopian government and lead to further bloodshed, destabilizing not only Ethiopia but the entire region.