The Silent Suffering of the Amhara

The human rights situation in Ethiopia continues to deteriorate, particularly in the Amhara and Oromia regions. This event will examine credible reports of extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detention, forced displacement, attacks against Christian communities, and other serious violations affecting the Amhara civilian population and Ethiopian Christians. The conference will also explore the implications of the European Union’s continued engagement with Ethiopia, including its recent EUR 689 million support package. It aims to promote accountability for serious human rights violations and to encourage discussion on whether current EU policies are consistent with the Union’s commitments to the protection of civilians, religious freedom, and the prevention of atrocity crimes. KEYNOTE SPEAKER H.I.H. Prince Asfa-Wossen Asserate, Ph.D. Ethiopian-German historian, political analyst, and author specialising in Ethiopian affairs, Ethiopian state and church history, and political developments in the Horn of Africa. BACKGROUND • The ECLJ’s 2024 report on the Amhara people documented patterns of violence that may amount to atrocity crimes. A substantially updated edition, published in June 2026, confirms that the situation remains deeply alarming. • The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission has reported extrajudicial killings, abductions, indiscriminate attacks against civilians, and large-scale displacement in the Amhara region. • Drone and aerial strikes have repeatedly affected civilian populations in the Amhara region, raising serious concerns under international humanitarian law. • Ethiopian Christians have increasingly been targeted, including clergy, churches, and Orthodox Christian communities in Oromia. • In February 2026, coordinated attacks against Orthodox Christian communities in East Arsi reportedly killed more than thirty worshippers, including a priest shot inside his church. On 31 May 2026, similar attacks in East Arsi have led to the death of at least 37 Christians and the burning of a monastery. • Opposition politicians, journalists, and civil society actors documenting the conflict continue to face detention, intimidation, and prosecution. • In October 2023, the United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide warned of a heightened risk of genocide and related atrocity crimes in Ethiopia. • Despite these developments, the European Union has recently extended approximately EUR 689 million in support to the Ethiopian government, raising questions regarding human rights conditionality. The EU also surprisingly congratulated the government on the contested elections.