The United Nations announced on Tuesday that at least 183 people have died in confrontations in Ethiopia’s Amhara region since July, and it made an appeal for a stop to the deaths, violence, and human rights violations.
After a catastrophic battle in Tigray, a neighboring province that also attracted fighters from Amhara, ended this year, tension in the northern region increased.
“We are very concerned by the deteriorating human rights situation in some regions of Ethiopia,” UN Human Rights Office spokeswoman, Marta Hurtado, told reporters in Geneva.
“In Amhara region, following a flare-up in clashes between the Ethiopian military and the regional Fano militia, and the declaration of a state of emergency on August 4, the situation worsened considerably.
“At least 183 people have been killed in clashes since July, according to information gathered by the UN Human Rights Office.”
After the end of a brutal battle in neighboring Tigray that also attracted fighters from Amhara, tension in the northern area grew this year.
Regional troops around the nation are being dismantled, the federal administration declared in April.
Early July clashes between the national army and neighborhood fighters known as Fano led to the declaration of a six-month state of emergency by Addis Abeba’s government on August 4.
According to Hurtado, the status provides the government the authority to make arrests without a warrant, set curfews, and forbid public meetings.
“We have received reports that more than 1,000 people have been arrested across Ethiopia under this law. Many of those detained were reported to be young people of Amhara ethnic origin suspected of being Fano supporters,” she said.
“Since early August, mass house-to-house searches have reportedly been taking place.
“We call on the authorities to stop mass arrests, ensure that any deprivation of liberty is judicially reviewed, and release those arbitrarily detained.”
She added: “We call on all actors to stop killings, other violations and abuses.”
