Several Amhara organisations have petitioned the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) to investigate alleged human rights violations against the Amhara people in Ethiopia, particularly within the Amhara and Oromia regions.
The groups, including the International Amhara Movement (IAM), Federation of Amharas in North America (FANA), and Canadian Amhara Societies Alliance (CASA), allege that the Amhara community has “endured targeted massacres, ethnic cleansing, mass arbitrary arrests, and systemic economic discrimination for decades.” They further claim that since April 2023, the Amhara people have been “subjected to a genocidal war led by the forces of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s regime.”
The petition accuses the ACHPR of remaining silent on the issue despite “numerous reports and pleas for action submitted to the Commission over the years.” The organisations contrast this with the Commission’s actions regarding other communities, noting that the ACHPR has “been relatively vocal on violations targeting other communities, including launching fact-finding missions into regions affected by the Northern Ethiopia War (although notably excluding the Amhara Region, the largest region impacted by the war of 2020-2022).”
The petition specifically names the Abiy Ahmed-led Oromo Prosperity Party regime’s armed forces, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) and other allied forces as perpetrators of the alleged violence. The organisations claim these groups “have killed tens of thousands of Amharas in Oromia and in Amhara Regions in recent years and displaced millions.” They further allege that these groups “are now waging a genocidal war against the Amhara people in the Amhara Region and elsewhere in the country.”
The petition highlights the alleged “ongoing ethnic cleansing of Amhara people from Oromia Region and Addis Ababa city, the destruction of homes and properties, and non-stop indiscriminate bombing of Amhara civilians,” arguing that these issues have not received sufficient attention from the ACHPR.
The Amhara groups are calling on the ACHPR to:
- “Launch an immediate investigation into the widespread human rights abuses affecting the Amhara people in Ethiopia.”
- “Issue a public statement condemning the targeted massacre and ethnic cleansing of Amhara people from Oromia Region and Addis Ababa city.”
- “Demand the Abiy Ahmed regime and its partners – including TPLF, OLA – to halt the genocidal war against the Amhara people and remove their forces from Amhara Region.”
- “Ensure the protection of displaced persons and advocate for urgent humanitarian assistance to address their dire conditions in Amhara Region.”
The groups argue that “silence in the face of such grave violations is an affront to the principles of justice, human dignity, and equality,” and urge the ACHPR to uphold its mandate and “speak out against these atrocities.” They warn that failure to act “would set a dangerous precedent in which the rights of African peoples are not protected equally, regardless of political or ethnic considerations.” The petition concludes by stating that “The Amhara people, like all peoples, deserve justice, peace, and the full protection of their human rights under the African Charter.” The petition is signed by 26 Amhara organisations from around the world.
