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On April 4, 2023, Genocide Prevention in Ethiopia (GPE) released a report claiming that a second round of mass abductions of ethnic Amharas in major cities across Ethiopia has taken place. According to the report, the Ethiopian government has initiated a new wave of mass arrests targeting ethnic Amharas, a similar event that took place in May 2022 where around 34,000 people were arrested, out of which only 12,000 were acknowledged by the government.
The current mass abduction is accompanied by blanket “terrorism” charges being leveled against the Amharas, including scholars, political leaders, students, and volunteers at Amhara Civic Organizations. The report alleges that this coordinated operation is a known pattern of the EPRDF/PP governments, which often carry out false flag attacks or pre-planned state-led operations to detain members of targeted ethnic groups without charge.
The report further claims that ethnic Amharas and Guraghes have been heavily profiled and arrested every time an anti-Government civil disobedience action takes place, and homes of ethnic Amharas and other non-Oromos are marked with a red ‘X’ sign for demolition. The report also cites concerns about official federal appointees invoking references from the ethnic turmoil in Yugoslavia and stories from the accounts of the Rwandan Genocide, labeling ethnic Amahras as a cause for “an upcoming genocide” in Ethiopia.
The report states that official federal and regional state media are covering up these state-led abductions by broadcasting made-up stories to legitimize the arrests. The report concludes by calling on the international community to denounce these acts of mass profiling and targeting, which may lead to gunning down targeted citizens and carrying out massacres in the open, urging a preemptive #NeverAgain response.
This alarming report highlights the ongoing human rights violations and persecution of ethnic Amharas in Ethiopia. The Ethiopian government must be held accountable for these acts of terror and the international community must take action to prevent further atrocities.
