Amhara Killed in their Homes by Ethiopian Troops (Pregnant Lady killed)
Kanako Mita, Sawako Utsumi, and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
America and the European Union are calling for a thorough investigation into the latest massacre of at least 45 Amhara (some reports claim that around 80 people were killed) civilians by the armed forces of Ethiopia in the town of Merawi.
The armed forces of Ethiopia even killed a pregnant lady in this part of Amhara. It is known that she died in hospital after being shot in door-to-door stormings of civilian homes.
The fear is that the death toll is higher because the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) – after verifying the deaths of 45 people in Amhara – said, “However, it can be assumed that the number of victims is even higher.”
The Guardian reports, “The bloodshed started on 29 January, after several hours of fighting between federal forces and Fano militiamen, witnesses said. When the militia retreated, soldiers went into houses targeting civilians, accusing them of being fighters, they said.”
Another report by the EHRC confirms that 15 Amhara civilians were killed on January 19. This happened in the East Gojam Zone (Ye’edwha City – Shebel Berenta District). In this massacre, government troops killed 15 civilians (men and women) after seeking to find Fano and Amharic ethnic militias – opposed to the centralization and power concentration policies of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia.
Several days before this massacre, more extrajudicial killings took place when 6 civilians were killed in West Gojam Zone (Woybeyign Kebele – Quarit District). The EHRC confirms that security forces once more killed these civilians after house-to-house searches.
Artillery and drone strikes by the armed forces of Ethiopia are also killing innocent civilians in Amhara.
Last week, the state of emergency in Amhara was extended. Accordingly, with extrajudicial killings by the armed forces of Ethiopia increasing, the fear is that the state apparatus will continue to kill innocent Ahmara citizens.
Amnesty International says, “On 4 August 2023, the Ethiopian government declared a six-month state of emergency with nation-wide application, following increased violence in the Amhara region. The state of emergency, approved by Ethiopia’s House of People’s Representatives on 14 August 2023, gives the government sweeping powers to arrest suspects without a court warrant, impose curfews, prevent freedom of movement, and ban public assemblies or associations.”
The United Nations confirmed that drone strikes late last year hit a bus station and the compound of a school. Drone strikes are continuing.
Voice of America reports, “Ethiopia is experiencing widespread ethnic tensions in several regions, most of them over historical grievances and political tensions. The Amhara people, the second-largest ethnic group among Ethiopia’s more than 110 million people, have been targeted frequently in regions like Oromia.”
Amhara forces claim they have little option but to protect the Amhara from ethnic and religious massacres. This is given further credence in the region of Oromia where 45 Christians were killed (mainly Ahmara worshippers) late last year.
In two separate attacks, at least 45 Christians were killed in the region of Oromia. These attacks took place in the environs of Kellem Wollega and Arsi.
In one massacre against Orthodox Christians in late November, it is noted that the killers even killed very young children and elderly ladies. This massacre killed 36 Christians in the district of Shirka (Arsi).
The Oromo Liberation Front was accused of both massacres.
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