Ethiopia Clashes: 183 People Killed In 2 Months, UN Appeals For Calm

The United Nations said that at least 183 people have been killed since July in Ethiopia clashes.

Members of the Washington DC Ethiopian community demonstrate outside of the U.S. State Department to protest attacks by the Ethiopian government on ethnic Amharas and the Amhara region in Ethiopia on August 10, 2023, in Washington, DC.

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The United Nations on Tuesday said that at least 183 people have been killed so far since July in Ethiopia’s Amhara region, appealing to put an end to the killings, violence, and rights abuses. Tensions have been simmering in the northern region this year after the end of a devastating war in the neighbouring region of Tigray that also drew in fighters from Amhara, as per an AFP report. The international body said it was “very concerned” about the deteriorating human rights situation in some regions of the country. 

"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, according to the report. 

"In the 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."

In April, the Ethiopian government announced it was dismantling regional forces across the country which triggered protests by Amhara nationalists who said it would weaken their region, the report stated. 

Clashes erupted in early July this year between the national army and local fighters known as Fano, prompting the authorities in Addis Ababa to declare a six-month emergency on August 4.

 The status gives the authorities broad powers to arrest suspects without a court order, impose curfews and ban public gatherings, Hurtado said.

"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.