US, rights body raise concern over Amhara’s state of emergency extension

Washington has expressed concern over Ethiopia’s recent extension of the state of emergency in Amhara.

In a post on X, the American Bureau of African Affairs emphasised the importance of respecting human rights and protecting civilians.

“Dialogue is urgently needed to stop the violence,” read part of the post.

Daniel Bekele, the Chief of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, expressed serious concerns via the X platform regarding the extension and its potential implications on human rights, highlighting issues such as conflict casualties, humanitarian crisis, and prolonged pre-trial detention.

“Dialogue is key,” he said.

The Ethiopian parliament ratified the extension of the state of emergency in the troubled northern Amhara region on Friday.

The official Facebook page of the Ethiopian parliament reported that a resolution to extend the state of emergency in the Amhara region was approved by a majority vote.

The report did not disclose the duration of the extended state of emergency.

However, Ethiopian state media outlets reported that it has been extended for an additional four months.

In August 2023, the Ethiopian parliament ratified a six-month state of emergency rule in the Amhara region amid prolonged conflict between the military and local militiamen.

This decision followed several days of fighting in towns across Amhara, the country's second most populous region, between federal forces and local militia known as Fano.

The state of emergency granted the federal government authority to implement curfews, limit individual’s movements, and prohibit public gatherings.

Parliament said the extension was granted following a request by the justice minister and deliberations among lawmakers.

The state-appointed Ethiopian Human Rights Commission has previously documented a range of alleged abuses in the Amhara conflict, most of which it has attributed to government forces.

In October last year, it was reported that government forces had conducted drone strikes and house-to-house searches, resulting in the deaths of numerous civilians.