June 22, 2022
HRRC is dismayed by the massacre of over 200 ethnic Amharas in Ethiopia. The ongoing civil war in the country has resulted in the loss of countless lives and grave human rights violations. The genocide and other war crimes must end immediately, and the government, rebel groups, and a third-party mediator must resolve the conflict through diplomatic discussions.
Article Summary
On June 19, 2022, a reported rebel group massacred over 200 ethnic Amharas in the Oromia region of Ethiopia. The government immediately blamed the militant group Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), but the OLA denies carrying out the attack and instead points to rebels support Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. This is the largest massacre in the country since November 2020.
The violence has been ongoing for nearly two years, with all sides committing war crimes, including rape, torture, and genocide. Currently, Ethiopia is also experiencing a record drought and famine. With the violence and blockade in Tigray, humanitarian organizations struggle to get aid to the Tigrayans. Thus, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed established an "indefinite humanitarian truce" in March 2022 to allow emergency aid into the region. Despite this, the fighting has not ceased, and Sunday's massacre of over 200 people is evidence of more to come.