Addis Abeba — When I joined the Amnesty movement to lead its team serving an important sub region of the African continent, initially as the first regional director for Southern Africa, then as regional director for East and Southern Africa, one of my responsibilities was to connect the organization more closely with the communities we serve and to integrate our work beyond borders. This was not an effortless task, yet, as a lifelong history student from Zimbabwe, I have always carried the stories of these countries close to my heart.
One of those countries, of course, was Ethiopia - a place I grew up admiring, a country taught in the African history syllabus in Zimbabwe. Yet, there was much to learn about the contradictions as to how this African hero, primarily to those outside, looked to those living within.
Who deserves justice, who decides?
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When I joined Amnesty in 2014, young people in Oromia were just starting their four-year-long protest demanding justice and equity. The new government that came to power in 2018 as a result of this protest promised to deliver on demands. Instead, the administration of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed dashed all hopes.
Two years later, in 2020, civilians in Ethiopia found themselves in an armed conflict that was referred to as one of the worst atrocities of the 21st century - mass killings, mass displacements, sexual violence, and unmatched polarization. The war that began in Tigray exposed not only the dangerous reality in Ethiopia, but it also provoked all of us to ask far-reaching questions about humanity's future. Among other things, it exposed the divisive role of big tech and a deeply deteriorating international political community that was failing to deliver on commitments embodied in the UN Charter.
Despite the denial of access to northern Ethiopia and the total communication blackout, my colleagues kept filling my desk with research they gathered about the atrocities that civilians were enduring. We then knocked on the doors of the UN and the AU to tell them, "The people are going through something that you once said you would help 'save' them from."
"African solutions to African problems"
Ethiopian authorities managed to block access to independent journalists, the UN-appointed commissioners, and the African Commission-appointed investigators. Yet, when Amnesty showed up in advocacy corridors demanding a robust response, Ethiopian diplomats were running a campaign using "African solutions to African problems," dismissing international pressure to protect civilians as a foreign-imposed attack. They succeeded in drowning out victims' pleas for justice and accountability - in the worst way possible.
Revolving door of impunity
During the war in the northern part of Ethiopia, when we stand in solidarity with victims of atrocities in one community, we face heat from others. However, we choose to be guided only by facts and the law, not only in Ethiopia but globally, enabling the Amnesty movement to sustain itself over the past 60 years. We were influenced neither by a person's passport nor ethnicity, but by whether they had been protected or violated.
Four years after we issued our findings of the ethnic cleansing campaign jointly with Human Rights Watch, we are now seeing officials, including Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, making statements about returning hundreds of thousands to the area, an implicit acceptance of our findings.
....no one has more power to stop atrocities and the culture of impunity than the ordinary Ethiopians."
In September 2023, Amnesty and others went to the UNHRC and told member states, again, that civilians were facing further atrocities and pleaded with them not to look away. Yet, a few told the council not to worry, as there is now a credible transitional justice process. This process remains on paper to date, while many are not certain if it exists even as a narrative.
And, as feared, the door revolved and another militarized conflict broke out in the Amhara region.
From Ukraine to Gaza, from Sudan to DRC and Yemen, civilians are calling for protection. The international legal order, which was long challenged for being dominated by a powerful few, is now failing to deliver the bare minimum. At times like this, I often search my soul for a solution: "What can we do?"
Solidarity: Most valued currency of oppressed
Working as a human rights defender can feel like an uphill battle, but what gave me immense hope was the many people who came to me and said, "You saved my life." And nothing else enabled that impact to be possible like the solidarity that exists in Amnesty's model, transcending race, nationality, geography, language, and class.
Still, I believe that no one has more power to stop atrocities and the culture of impunity than the ordinary Ethiopians. Communities must be educated on the need to build a society that says, "No one is safe until everyone is safe." For that to happen, we need a free press and a strong civil society that can represent the population and engage with those in power.
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It is inconceivable that while speculation of another regional war in Ethiopia fills the air, Ethiopians are waiting to see if they will wake up to the sound of gunshots again.
Solidarity is indeed the most valued currency of the oppressed, and it is increasingly scarce. It requires leadership, investment, and a genuine commitment to making difficult decisions. It must leave no one behind; the greatest question is "How can we return agency to the people?"
I remember calling on Sudan to open its doors to Ethiopian refugees who have fled the war since 2020. In 2023, we called on Sudan's neighbors - including Ethiopia - to open their borders to Sudanese seeking shelter from another devastating war. We came full circle!
Across all the imaginary barriers, we must harness genuine solidarity to build a system that is guided only by the rule of law, with strong, independent institutions that can enforce it.
An empowered society that honors justice is possible in Ethiopia. AS
Editor's Note: The author of this op-ed, Deprose Muchena, is the former Senior Director of Regional Human Rights Impact at Amnesty International. At the end of June, Muchena announced that he will leave the organization after 11 years of service. In this article, he reflects on the human rights situation in Ethiopia.
