(Nairobi) – Ethiopian security forces have been accused of committing widespread attacks on medical professionals, patients, and healthcare facilities in the northwestern Amhara region, according to a new Human Rights Watch report. These actions, described as war crimes, have severely disrupted healthcare services in the region.
The 66-page report, titled “’If the Soldier Dies, It’s On You’: Attacks on Medical Care in Ethiopia’s Amhara Conflict,” documents how Ethiopian federal forces and a government-affiliated militia have attacked healthcare workers, facilities, and transport in at least 13 towns since the conflict between Ethiopian federal forces and the Amhara militia, known as Fano, began in August 2023. Human Rights Watch calls on Ethiopia’s international partners to demand accountability and increase scrutiny of the human rights situation in the country.
“Ethiopian federal forces, operating with near impunity, are recklessly endangering civilian lives by targeting medical facilities that provide desperately needed care,” said Laetitia Bader, deputy Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “Without pressure on the government to hold these forces accountable, such atrocities are likely to persist.”
From August 2023 to May 2024, Human Rights Watch conducted remote interviews with 58 victims and witnesses of abuses, as well as medical professionals and aid workers. The organization also analyzed satellite imagery and verified videos and photographs of an alleged government drone strike on an ambulance in November.
The investigation revealed that Ethiopian forces have compromised the operation of hospitals, beating, arbitrarily arresting, and intimidating medical professionals for treating the injured and sick, including alleged Fano fighters. The forces also unlawfully attacked ambulances and medical transports, hindered access to humanitarian aid, and denied the Amhara population their right to health.
In January, Ethiopian soldiers detained and interrogated a medical professional at a military camp for several days. “The colonel [interrogating me] called me a ‘Fano doctor,’” he said. “He started asking why I was treating the Fano. He said [the Fano] are not humans … they are monsters.”
Federal forces have obstructed access to medical facilities, wrongfully arresting patients on mere suspicion of Fano affiliation, creating widespread fear among those needing treatment.
International humanitarian law, also known as the laws of war, prohibits attacks on civilians and civilian objects and provides special protections to health facilities, medical professionals, patients, and ambulances. Even during armed conflict, international human rights law remains in effect, requiring countries to maintain minimum essential levels of the right to health.
The fighting in Amhara has disrupted medical supply chains, leading to severe and prolonged shortages of essential medicines in hospitals and health centers, significantly hampering their ability to provide adequate care.
Doctors and health staff are working under dire conditions. “We have shortages of oxygen and medication, and since there is no power, we are struggling,” said one doctor in November 2023. “The blood bank has stopped collecting blood. … Yesterday, we had to tell an expectant mother’s family to bring 20 liters or any amount of fuel they can find so we could operate using the generator.”
Efforts by doctors to replenish hospital supplies have drawn suspicion from government forces, leading to attacks that further undermine their ability to care for patients safely. On November 30, a suspected drone strike on a clearly marked ambulance in Wegel Tena killed at least four civilians, severely injured another, and destroyed vital medical supplies. “Psychologically, hospital staff are disturbed and living in fear,” a health worker reported.
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