Addis Abeba — Amnesty International has warned that the resumption of fighting in Ethiopia's Tigray region has placed civilians at renewed risk of serious human rights violations, calling for the restoration of regional and international investigative mechanisms and urging all parties to protect civilians.
In a statement issued on 03 August, following clashes between the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) and Tigrayan forces in parts of western Tigray on 01 August, the rights organization said the renewed violence comes as communities are still dealing with the legacy of atrocities committed during the 2020-2022 Tigray war.
"The resumption of violence in Tigray region puts residents at renewed risk of human rights violations, even as communities continue to grapple with the devastating legacy of past atrocities without justice or accountability," said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International's Regional Director for East and Southern Africa.
Amnesty said the latest fighting, together with ongoing conflicts in the Amhara and Oromia regions, underscores the need to restore regional and international human rights investigative mechanisms in Ethiopia. The organization said it continues to document serious human rights violations and abuses in the country's active conflict zones.
Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn
The organization recalled that during the northern Ethiopia war, which lasted from November 2020 until the signing of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement in November 2022, it documented grave human rights violations, including acts it said likely amounted to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Geographic Reference Amnesty called on both the federal government and Tigrayan authorities to comply with international human rights standards, particularly those relating to the protection of civilians. It also urged both sides to allow unhindered access for independent human rights monitors, humanitarian organizations, and the media in conflict-affected areas.
The organization further appealed to the international community to engage with authorities in Addis Abeba and Mekelle to restore access for independent media and human rights monitors across Tigray.
Discover moreBiological SciencesLocal NewsAfricans & DiasporaMagazinesHistoryDemographicsSocial Issues & AdvocacyGeographic ReferenceHuman Rights & LibertiesPeople & Society Amnesty said regional and international human rights monitoring mechanisms in Ethiopia largely ceased after the mandates of key investigative bodies, including the UN International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia (ICHREE) and the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights' Commission of Inquiry on the Situation in the Tigray Region, were terminated. It also said the Ethiopian government subsequently abandoned its transitional justice initiative, which it had presented as an alternative to international accountability efforts.
People & Society The statement also highlighted what Amnesty described as a growing pattern of repression by Tigrayan authorities over the past two months, alleging the silencing of independent media, forced conscription campaigns affecting thousands of people, and restrictions on freedom of movement.
During the 2020-2022 war in Tigray, numerous international human rights organizations documented grave violations committed by multiple parties to the conflict. The Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) and the Eritrean Defense Forces (EDF), which fought alongside Ethiopian forces, have faced widespread allegations of serious abuses.
In October 2023 Addis Standard reported that International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia (ICHREE) released its final report detailing human rights violations committed during the two-year war in Tigray, Amhara, Afar and ongoing conflict in Oromia region before its mandate was terminated. The report documents staggering scale of violations and abuses perpetrated by all sides.
In the report released at the end of the Human Rights Council's 54th session, the commission implicated Ethiopian federal forces, Eritrean forces, and allied regional forces in "mass killings, widespread and systematic rape and sexual violence, including sexualised slavery against women and girls, deliberate starvation, forced displacement, and large-scale arbitrary detentions which amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity".
Human Rights & Liberties The U.S. Department of State's 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices concluded that members of the ENDF, EDF, and Amhara forces committed crimes against humanity in Tigray, while finding that all parties to the conflict committed war crimes. The report cited killings, rape and other forms of sexual violence, persecution, and, in western Tigray, deportation and ethnic cleansing.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Likewise, in its final report presented to the UN Human Rights Council in October 2023, the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia (ICHREE) found reasonable grounds to believe that Ethiopian federal forces, Eritrean forces, and allied regional forces committed "mass killings, widespread and systematic rape and sexual violence, including sexualized slavery against women and girls, deliberate starvation, forced displacement, and large-scale arbitrary detentions," amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The commission also found reasonable grounds to believe that Tigrayan forces committed war crimes during their operations in the Amhara and Afar regions, including killings, widespread rape and other forms of sexual violence, destruction of property, and looting.
Eritrea has consistently rejected allegations of wrongdoing. In February 2025, Asmara said its military intervention was undertaken at Ethiopia's request and argued that Ethiopian authorities had previously acknowledged what it described as Eritrea's "indispensable role" during the conflict. AS
Ethics
