The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has accused the federal government of ignoring the policy recommendations it has forwarded in a bid to avert the widespread human rights violations in the country.
The Commission noted that violations continue to take place, particularly in the Amhara and Oromia regions, in a quarterly report released this week and covering human right violations registered between June and September 2024. It indicates the government has failed to implement recommendations forwarded in past reports.
The latest report reveals that human rights violations continued including extra-judicial killings, civilian deaths in conflict, physical harm, property damage and robberies, mass-intentional-protracted detentions, absence of justice, kidnapping, forced disappearance, unlawful banning of transportation and mobility, and internal displacement continue to take place.
It details that no less than 22 people, including a 13-year-old child, were killed by stray bullets and misdirected fire during a clash between government forces and Fano militia in Debark town, Amhara region, on September 16, 2024. Another nine people, including five teachers, were taken from their homes and killed by government forces on the same day, according to the report.
At least 11 people were killed in Tseda during an incident a few weeks prior, according to the Commission. It also reveals additional killings took place in the North and West Gojjam zones in August and July.
– Advertisement –
The report indicates that detentions and killings are also taking place in the Oromia region, where at least 14 peaceful local residents of the Southwest Shewa Zone were killed in August alone. The Commission says government forces, OLF-Shane, and Amhara militant groups are responsible for killings across Oromia, including Wollega.
Gambella is also seeing its share of violence as eight civilians were killed in a clash between government security forces and armed men in Pulkot Kebele, Itang Special District, in early May. At least 16 others sustained injuries, according to the report.
The Commission highlights that violence against South Sudanese refugees continues to take place in Gambella, with at least three killed during the reporting period.
On a more positive note, the Commission says that the release of large numbers of people detained in Awash Arba and other centers following the declaration of a state of emergency last year is underway.
However, it notes that these people are unable to go back to their jobs as they cannot present evidence of their detainment having never been presented to a court of law.
The report notes that kidnapping is increasingly seen as a source of income, particularly in Amhara and Oromia, where the Commission says federal control has thinned, providing fertile ground for kidnappers.
The report indicates that kidnapping has become highly organized and is often conducted for political purposes as well as for income, or as leverage to force the release of another kidnapped person.
In the past month, journalists and managers at the Amhara Media Corporation, as well as the Ethiopian Broadcast Corporation, were kidnapped by Fano militia groups.
The report reveals that transportation is being disrupted or outright prohibited by armed groups in Amhara, Oromia, Gambella, and elsewhere, preventing the public from accessing health centers and markets.
The Commission called for the government to ensure international accountability for human rights crimes committed in Oromia and Amhara and elsewhere, as well as for an unconditional ceasefire in conflict-struck areas.
The Commission is set to publish a separate report on forced disappearance and detentions soon.
.
.
.
#Govt #Implementing #Recommendations #EHRC
Source link
