Ethiopia’s rights body expresses concern over conflict in Amhara region

ADDIS ABABA: The state-backed Ethiopia Human Rights Commission (EHRC) on Monday expressed concern over the human rights impact of the armed conflict on civilians in Ethiopia’s Amhara region.

The urgent call followed several days of fighting in towns across Amhara, the East African country’s second most populous region, between federal forces and local militia known as Fano.

The EHRC’s call also followed a deadly attack that reportedly claimed at least 26 people in the town of Finote Selam, 385 km from the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

Local residents told Xinhua on conditions of anonymity that the latest deadly incident occurred on Sunday killing at least 26 with multiple dozen injuries. They said the death toll could further increase.

The EHRC confirmed that there were heavy fighting in and around cities and towns across the Amhara region, which involved the use of heavy artillery resulting in the deaths and injuries of civilians, as well as damage to property.

“There have been cases where protestors including civilians who attempted to block roads were killed,” the EHRC said.

“Prisons and police stations in the region were broken into, weapons and ammunition were looted, and pre-trial detainees and prisoners escaped,” it added.

The EHRC called on the conflicting parties to agree, without preconditions, to immediately end hostilities, enabling space for dialogue and a peaceful resolution of the conflict.

Amid the expanding armed conflict across the region, the Ethiopian House of People’s Representatives (HoPR), the lower house of the Ethiopian parliament, on Monday ratified a six-month state of emergency rule.

The decree explaining the necessity of the state of emergency rule that was read to members of the parliament indicated that the armed activities in the region have become impossible to control through the regular law enforcement system.

Source – Xinhua