Ethiopian army committing possible war crimes, blocking health services in Amhara - HRW

A human rights watchdog has accused the Ethiopian army and police of mounting attacks on medical professionals, patients, and health facilities in the Amhara region, which it notes may amount to war crimes, as a conflict takes place in the Amhara region.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) made the allegations in a report titled "If the Solder Dies, It's On You" which was released on Wednesday.

"Government security forces, including Ethiopian military, police and militia, have killed health workers and patients, threatened and assaulted doctors, wrongfully arrested patients, looted and destroyed medical supplies, and misused healthcare facilities," the report says.

"They have targeted ambulances, including in at least one apparent drone strike. They have repeatedly raided hospitals in search of patients with injuries, in particular gunshot, blast or fragmentation wounds, which the military considers to be proof of participating in fighting or having Fano-fighter affiliation."

The organisation says its report was based on interviews with 58 victims and witnesses conducted between August 2023 and May 2024.

With the help of satellite imagery, verified videos, and photographs following an apparent government drone strike on an ambulance in November, HRW confirmed the violations.

The watchdog says the Ethiopian federal forces have committed atrocities in 13 towns with a population of 23 million people, together with a government-affiliated militia.

"Human Rights Watch found that the Ethiopian military has committed serious violations of international humanitarian law—the laws of war—which may amount to war crimes," the report notes.

HRW explains that the violations started when war erupted between the government forces and the Amhara's Fano militia in August 2023. So far nine aid workers have been killed and four other fatalities have been recorded this year.

The conflict in the northern part of the country left 183 people dead in July and August 2023 alone and affected supplies to the area as well.

"The fighting has also disrupted the delivery of medical supplies, leading hospitals and healthcare centres to face acute and prolonged shortages of essential medicines and other necessary healthcare goods," the report stated.

"Doctors seeking to replenish depleted hospital supplies have aroused the suspicion of government forces and in some cases have come under attack, affecting their ability to provide care to patients in a safe environment."

HRW's Horn of Africa Director Laetitia Bader said international partners were struggling to carry out business in the country hence the need for government intervention.

"The government should condemn attacks by Ethiopian forces, press for renewed international scrutiny of the human rights situation, and increase support for health services in Amhara," she said.

She further urged the government to provide the legal framework to protect medical workers and health services and allocate public resources to public facilities to end the crisis.

The human rights watchdog also asked the forces and the militia to respect international laws by ending the attacks and allowing medical professionals to operate in a peaceful environment.

The international community has not been monitoring human rights abuses in Ethiopia since October 2023 after the failure of the UN Human Rights Council to renew the mandate of the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia (ICHREE). As a result, the media has been restricted.

There was no immediate comment on the HRW's report by the Ethiopian government or the army.