Ethiopia - February 2024

The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) reported on 13 February that at least 45 civilians had been killed in Merawi, Amhara in late January. The EHRC stated that they had been killed by government security services who suspected them of supporting or being members of the Fano militia group. Other reports suggest the number of people killed may be as high as 80. An Ethiopian government spokesman denied the reports, asserting that civilians would never be targeted. Elsewhere in Amhara in February, at least 15 civilians were killed when the truck in which they were travelling was hit by an airstrike, likely launched from a drone. At the beginning of February, the lower chamber of the national legislature (House of People’s Representatives) extended the State of Emergency in Amhara (which began in August 2023) for an additional four months.

Sources: Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, Al Jazeera, British Broadcasting Corporation, Associated Press, Reuters