The Tigray war began on 3 November 2020

Millions of civilians have been displaced and thousands killed in northern Ethiopia

‘… the response from the international community, including the African Union, has been dismal to one of the deadliest conflicts in the world’ - Flavia Mwangovya

On the two-year anniversary of northern Ethiopia’s ongoing armed conflict which has since led to appalling violations by parties on all sides, Flavia Mwangovya, Amnesty International’s East Africa, Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes regions Deputy Director for Campaigns, said:

“Since the start of the conflict in northern Ethiopia, millions of civilians have been displaced and thousands killed.

“All parties have been responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including extrajudicial executions and summary killings of hundreds of people and sexual violence against women and girls.

“Despite restrictions on access and communication shutdowns, Amnesty has repeatedly documented unspeakable abuses by all parties to the conflict, yet the response from the international community, including the African Union, has been dismal to one of the deadliest conflicts in the world.

“The international community must show solidarity with the victims and survivors of atrocity crimes in Ethiopia’s two-year conflict.”

Amnesty’s campaign

On the second anniversary of the start of the conflict, Amnesty is launching a global campaign to underscore the gravity of the human rights crisis in Ethiopia, while also detailing how the African Union and the international community’s response has been completely inadequate.

One of deadliest conflicts in the world

All parties to the armed conflict in Ethiopia, which pits forces aligned with Ethiopia's federal government, including the Eritrean army, against those affiliated with Tigray's regional government led by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), have committed serious human rights violations and abuses, including extrajudicial executions, summary killings and sexual violence against women and girls.

The abuses documented by Amnesty in this conflict include war crimes and crimes against humanity, which are among the most serious crimes of concern to the international community. Ethnic violence has claimed thousands of lives.

Due to the ongoing conflict, the region has been largely cut off from the outside world. Millions of people have been internally displaced, while humanitarian aid has also been denied to millions of people in Tigray.