Mogadishu, Somalia – A group of human rights activists has accused Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of committing genocide and ethnic cleansing against the Amhara people, one of the largest ethnic groups in the country.
The group, called Genocide Prevention in Ethiopia (GPE), said that the Ethiopian government and army have killed more than 11,000 civilians, raped 200 women, and injured more than 20,000 people in the Amhara region, especially in the north, since Abiy came to power in 2018.
The group also said that the Ethiopian government has been displacing, arresting, and torturing Amhara people in other parts of the country, such as Oromia, Benishangul-Gumuz, and Tigray, where ethnic conflicts have been raging for months.
The group called on the international community to intervene and stop the atrocities, and to hold Abiy and his allies accountable for their crimes.
Critics have accused Abiy of being a dictator who is trying to consolidate his power by suppressing dissent, violating human rights, and waging war against his opponents.
Ethiopia, which has more than 80 ethnic groups and a population of about 110 million, has a federal system that grants autonomy to regional states based on ethnicity. However, this system has also been a source of tension and violence, as different groups compete for resources, representation, and recognition.
The situation in Ethiopia has been deteriorating since November 2020, when Abiy launched a military offensive against the TPLF, the former ruling party that controlled the northern region of Tigray. The conflict has resulted in thousands of deaths, millions of displacements, and a humanitarian crisis that has been described as one of the worst in the world.
The conflict has also spilled over to neighboring countries, such as Sudan and Eritrea, and has raised fears of a regional instability and a civil war in Ethiopia.
