By Abebe Gellaw
The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention has issued an Active Genocide Alert recently over mass killings of the Amhara people in Ethiopia following a horrifying massacre that occurred on September 3, 2023. The alert raises alarm over the deliberate killing of Amhara civilians, allegedly orchestrated by the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) under the direction of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali.
“The Lemkin Institute believes that there is evidence of an ongoing process of genocide in the country against Amhara citizens,” the Alert says. Established in 2017, the US-based group aims to help prevent genocide around the world by raising awareness and using advocacy tools.
According to Lemkin’s Active Genocide Alert, the incident unfolded in the vicinity of Majete and the surrounding areas of the Amhara region. The exact number of victims remains uncertain, with estimates ranging from 33 to over 70.
Eyewitnesses on the ground have provided harrowing accounts of the tragedy, describing a door-to-door massacre that particularly targeted young men. During the killings, perpetrators reportedly engaged in widespread looting, taking away property, cattle, grains, and fertilizer belonging to the victims. The rural communities suffered indiscriminate shelling, while extrajudicial executions were carried out by ENDF soldiers. Following the massacre, survivors were left to bury the victims, the Alerted says.
The Amhara Association of America has, identified 31 of the victims, all of whom were identified as unarmed farmers. The Lemkin Institute highlights that the roots of this tragedy can be traced back to the ongoing conflict between government forces and the Fano, an Amhara regional militia that had previously aligned itself with Prime Minister Abiy’s regime during the 2020-2022 conflict against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
The Lemkin Institute had previously issued a “Red Flag Alert for Genocide” in April 2023 after Prime Minister Abiy announced plans to integrate regional armed forces into the federal forces, resulting in increased violence in the Amhara region.
The deteriorating security situation in Ethiopia has garnered international concern. The International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia expressed deep concern, urging the government to adhere to principles of necessity, proportionality, and non-discrimination. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights also voiced concerns about the human rights situation and reported arrests, particularly of young people of Amhara ethnicity.
Recent incidents have continued to escalate the crisis, with reports of federal forces targeting residential areas, resulting in civilian casualties. There have also been allegations of makeshift concentration camps and inhumane treatment of Amhara detainees.
The Lemkin Institute warns that the escalating violence against the Amhara people in Ethiopia, coupled with longstanding genocidal rhetoric, suggests an ongoing process of genocide in the country.
“Ethiopia is in desperate need of inspirational, responsible leadership and a transformational justice process that can reweave badly torn social ties between identity groups before these overlapping genocidal processes result in nationwide civil war and a winner-take-all fight of absolute destruction,” the Lemkin Institute noted.
The Institute calls for international pressure on the Ethiopian government to declare a ceasefire, shut down any existing concentration camps, and allow for an independent international fact-finding mission to assess the situation on the ground. The situation in Ethiopia underscores the urgent need for responsible leadership and a transformative justice process to address the complex interplay of identity-based conflicts before they result in a nationwide civil war.
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Full Statement
