The ongoing conflict between Ethiopian government forces and the Fano militia in the Amhara region has resulted in a severe humanitarian crisis marked by numerous civilian casualties and widespread human rights abuses. The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and other credible sources have documented extensive violence, including airstrikes, drone attacks, indiscriminate military operations, extrajudicial killings, and unlawful arrests affecting civilians.
The war in Amhara, which began in April 2023, escalated after the Ethiopian government moved to dissolve regional special forces, including those loyal to the Amhara regional state, integrating them into federal armed forces. The Fano militia, initially allies during the conflict with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), turned adversaries in the wake of political tensions over autonomy and power.
Casualties and Scope of the Conflict
Fighting has been intensive, particularly over the course of 2024 and into 2025. According to multiple reports, including from the United Nations and human rights organizations, more than 15,000 people—both combatants and civilians—have died in the conflict. The United Nations noted that over 2,000 civilians were killed in 2024 alone.
The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) documented over 9,000 fatalities in the Amhara region between April 2023 and April 2025, covering combatants and civilians. Within this, approximately 1,800 civilians were reported as fatalities from attacks specifically targeting them.
The Amhara Association of America, representing the region’s interests, estimated over 3,200 civilian casualties (including 2,592 deaths) between August 2023 and August 2024. Much of the civilian death toll is attributed to indiscriminate air and drone strikes by the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF), alongside ground fighting and retaliatory attacks.
A prominent incident cited by the EHRC involved a drone strike on April 17, 2025, in East Gojjam zone, resulting in more than 100 deaths, including numerous children at a primary school. While local officials denied civilian casualties, claiming the strike targeted Fano militants, eyewitness and human rights testimonies highlighted mass civilian deaths and the use of mass graves.
Human Rights Violations and Attacks on Civilians
The EHRC reported that drone and airstrikes hit multiple cities in Amhara, including Debre Birhan, Finote Selam, and Bure, causing civilian casualties and damaging residential areas and public infrastructure. Civilians in Bahir Dar were reportedly dragged from their homes and killed outside their residences, while youth were subjected to targeted beatings, searches, and extrajudicial killings.
Credible reports from EHRC and other human rights monitors indicate extrajudicial killings by security forces occurred in towns such as Shewa Robit and Gondar. The ENDF’s military campaigns have been accompanied by violations including forced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, torture, and intimidation of civilians and medical personnel.
An especially tragic episode was the Merawi massacre on January 30, 2024, when at least 89 civilians were killed by ENDF forces during operations in the area. Another grave incident on March 31, 2025, saw around 40 civilians—women and children included—massacred in Birakat town and adjacent villages during house-to-house searches. These attacks are seen as punitive reprisals after the government retook areas from Fano control.
Human Rights Watch documented abuses including violence against health workers, with Ethiopian troops reportedly beating, arresting, and intimidating medical staff, attacking ambulances, and blocking humanitarian aid delivery. Thousands of women have sought medical care for sexual violence, although experts believe actual numbers are far higher due to underreporting and fear of stigma.
Stakeholder Statements and Contrasting Claims
The Ethiopian military claimed that during March 2025 clashes it killed over 300 Fano fighters and injured many others. The military described Fano as a destabilizing insurgent group. Conversely, Fano spokespeople strongly refuted these figures, claiming their own battlefield successes and heavy government casualties. They contend the government loses many soldiers and accuse the military of targeting civilians.
The EHRC’s reports have often clashed with official government denials or minimizations of civilian harm. However, independent observers and human rights organizations consistently highlight the high civilian toll and repeated abuses by both sides, though with heavier accusations towards federal forces.
The conflict’s prolonged nature and the involvement of irregular militias have led to a de facto state of emergency under which human rights violations occur with impunity. Civilians live under constant threat, with medical and humanitarian access severely restricted by insecurity.
Broader Context and Impact
The fighting in Amhara has caused widespread displacement and a collapsing healthcare system unable to meet the population’s urgent needs. The militarization of the region, frequent use of drones and artillery, and retaliatory violence contribute to an atmosphere of terror and instability.
Reports detail rampant kidnappings, extortion, and looting by armed groups, further aggravating the suffering of ordinary people. The conflict deepens ethnic and political divisions in Ethiopia, complicating prospects for peace.
