The U.S. Department of State 2024 Country Report on Human Rights in Ethiopia reveals the ongoing deterioration of human rights in the country, and alleges significant and widespread abuses.
The report, which covers Ethiopia’s human rights situation in 2024, alleges significant human rights abuses overwhelmingly being perpetrated by the Abiy Ahmed regime, including credible reports of:
- Arbitrary or unlawful killings;
- Disappearances;
- Torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment;
- Arbitrary arrest or detention;
- Transnational repression against individuals in another country;
- Serious abuses in conflict; and
- Serious restrictions on freedom of expression and media freedom, including violence or threats of violence against journalists, unjustified arrests of journalists and censorship.
War Crimes and Conflict-Related Abuses
According to the report, from August 2023 to June 2024, a state of emergency was in effect in the Amhara region under which there were widespread violations of human rights by the Abiy Ahmed regime, including drone strikes against civilians, extrajudicial killings, and arbitrary detentions.
A key feature of the Abiy Ahmed regime’s ongoing war in Amhara region is the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones—resulting in 248 civilian deaths between August 4 and December 31, 2023, and the destruction of vital infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, and water infrastructure.
Citing the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the U.S. State Departments’ report highlights that from January 2023 to January 2024, at least 1,351 civilians were killed in Ethiopia due to attacks by regime forces, Eritrean troops, antigovernment militias, and unknown actors. Of these, 740 civilians were killed in the Amhara region.
Additionally, during this period, the OHCHR recorded 594 incidents of human rights abuses affecting 8,253 victims, with government actors responsible for 70% of the abuses.
In one specific incident, on January 29, 2024, at least 89 civilians were killed by regime forces in the town of Merawi, near Bahir Dar, Amhara region. On April 12, Amnesty International released its investigation into this incident, corroborating eyewitness accounts with satellite imagery to conclude regime forces rounded up residents from their homes, shops, and the streets, and summarily executed more than 50 individuals.
Both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have criticized the Abiy regime’s lack of credible efforts to provide justice and prevent such atrocities.
Press Freedom and Freedom of Speech
The report details sever limitations to press freedom and freedom of speech, as the Abiy regime’s respect for freedom of speech and press freedom has significantly deteriorated, especially in response to the conflicts in Amhara and Oromia regions. In this regard, international organizations, including the International Federation of Journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters Without Borders, and Freedom House have reported a significant decline in press freedom.
According to the U.S. State Departments’ report, journalists in Ethiopia fear reprisals, as many journalists were killed under unclear circumstances. Many reporters whose coverage did not support the regime narrative have been detained on serious yet politically motivated charges such as “promoting terrorism and extremism.”
The Committee to Protect Journalists has reported that since 2020, at least 54 Ethiopian journalists have gone into exile, with the CPJ providing emergency assistance to 30 of them.
Abductions and Disappearances
The report highlights the prevalence of enforced disappearances by or on behalf of regime authorities. Specifically, there were numerous cases of enforced disappearances of prominent figures critical of the regime, including political commentators, former military officers, investigative journalists, and social media activists.
Citing the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, the State Departments’ report highlights multiple cases of enforced disappearances and the detention of persons in informal detention facilities, especially in conflict-affected areas of the country.
The report highlights that agents of the regime or groups acting with the regime’s authorization, support, or acquiescence were involved in keeping civilians in informal detention centers. The report added authorities refused to acknowledge the deprivation of liberty or concealed the fate or whereabouts of these persons.
Furthermore, the report also highlights a rising number of civilian abduction cases. For example, in July 2024, three buses carrying 167 passengers were reportedly hijacked in Oromia region leading to demands for ransom.
Aside from ongoing violence in Ahmara and Oromia, the population of the Tigray region, has also been struggling with the aftermath of conflict, and remains vulnerable to abuses of power.
Conclusion
In sum, the U.S. Department of State Report on Human Rights in Ethiopia reveals the dire state of human rights in the country. Caught in the throes of political instability and armed conflict, human rights violations, including war crimes, extrajudicial killings, and arbitrary detentions continue unabated. Overall, there is a 56% increase in human rights violations in 2023-24 compared with 2022.
Such a horrendous human rights track record is likely to undermine the Abiy regime’s credibility, while reducing the bilateral and multilateral development assistance it receives from the West. For instance, the Abiy regime’s request to be reinstated into the African Growth and Opportunities Act—a preferential trade arrangement that grants duty free access to the U.S. market—will continue to be undermined by such a horrendous human rights record.
Ethiopian Policy Institute 