The Amhara Fano National Force (AFNF) has alleged that the Ethiopian government’s Prosperity Party regime is systematically using rape as a weapon of war against the Amhara people, according to a statement issued by the group.
The statement, issued by the AFNF Central Command, claims that the Prosperity Party army deployed in the Amhara region has raped more than 100,000 women and minors, both individually and in groups, based on research assessments conducted by the force.
The AFNF alleged that the “genocidal war” against the Amhara people has been ongoing for nearly three years, with the regime pursuing a comprehensive campaign in violation of international humanitarian law. This strategy is claimed to include the killing of civilians, the looting of property, and the mass and individual rape of women and minors, alongside the use of heavy weaponry against unarmed populations.
According to the Amhara Fano National Force, rape has been used “deliberately to inflict psychological trauma and humiliation” upon the Amhara people. The victims are alleged to primarily include married women, wives of priests, deacons and religious leaders, as well as students, and teachers. Many were reportedly assaulted in front of their families, children, husbands, or classmates, acts which the AFNF stated have generated immense social disintegration.
The group further claimed that Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has condoned these actions through public remarks in parliament and elsewhere, which have been echoed by statements from his military leadership.
The AFNF asserted that a “failure” by the international community to take proportionate and timely action following similar patterns in earlier conflicts has allowed these crimes to expand in scale, severity, and concealment.
The statement noted a “recent BBC investigative report on rape,” but suggested it only reveals a fraction of the reality.
Regarding other alleged actions by the regime, the Amhara Fano National Force referred to a recent confirmation by the United States government concerning the regime’s involvement in recruiting minors and individuals with mental illnesses into military service, as well as participation in human trafficking. The group added that military officers have abducted businesspeople, extorted them through detention in concentration camps for huge ransom and for personal gains.
In response to these allegations, the Amhara Fano National Force issued a series of appeals.
1. Appeal to the International Community and Human Rights Institutions:
The AFNF urged all relevant actors to impose targeted sanctions, withhold diplomatic and military support, and undertake other necessary measures against the regime and its officials for their alleged war crimes and violations against the Amhara people. The group cited Ethiopia’s ratified human rights instruments and treaty obligations that bind the government to respect, protect, and uphold human rights.
2. Appeal to Ethiopian Human Rights Defenders at Home and Abroad:
The Amhara Fano National Force called upon Ethiopian human rights defenders to demonstrate solidarity and moral responsibility by using every lawful means available to challenge the regime, which it alleges employs killing, rape, and plunder as instruments of warfare.
3. Appeal to the Amhara People:
The AFNF called on all Amhara people to “stand with us in this struggle for survival” and join the collective effort to end the regime’s rule, stating that wider community support beyond the battlefield efforts of the Fano fighters is essential to stopping the alleged campaign of extermination and humiliation.
4. Appeal to International Media, Academic Institutions, and Civil Society:
The Amhara Fano National Force commended the BBC but urged other independent institutions, media organizations, universities, and professional associations to conduct thorough investigations into the widespread attacks on the Amhara people. The AFNF pledged full cooperation with any independent body undertaking such inquiries.
