Amnesty International urges AU emergency session as fighting escalates in Northern Ethiopia

Amnesty International has called on the African Union to convene an emergency session on the worsening conflict in northern Ethiopia, warning that renewed fighting in Tigray and neighbouring parts of Afar and Amhara regions is escalating and could have wider regional consequences.

In a statement issued on Friday, the human rights organisation said the latest armed conflict, which began on 21 September, has intensified across southern Tigray, Northern Amhara and Western Afar.

Amnesty said it had received credible reports of destruction of civilian infrastructure through shelling and air strikes, intensified forced conscription and other acts that may constitute violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.

“The African Union’s Peace and Security Council cannot wait for mass atrocities to unfold or for a surge in civilian casualties before placing Ethiopia, its host country, on the agenda,” said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa.

He urged the AU Peace and Security Council to urgently convene an emergency session and activate its response mechanisms, citing growing concerns about the potential regionalisation of the conflict.

According to Amnesty, fighting between Tigrayan forces and their allies, including Amhara Fano forces, and the Ethiopian National Defence Force and its allies has intensified since the latest hostilities began.

The organisation said the renewed fighting has involved heavy weapons and intensified aerial attacks in Tigray, including reported attacks in the town of Axum and the regional capital Mekelle.

Amnesty also raised concerns over reports that civilian infrastructure, including several schools, has been damaged or targeted during aerial attacks. It said fighting around Maychew and Alamata involving heavy weapons had reportedly resulted in civilian casualties and placed critical infrastructure at further risk.

The organisation expressed additional concern over disruptions to communications in Tigray and parts of Afar and Amhara, saying the restrictions could limit independent monitoring and prevent civilians from accessing essential information and assistance.

“Disrupting communications in conflict-affected areas is a well-documented pattern in Ethiopia’s armed conflicts,” Chagutah said, calling on the authorities to immediately restore communications services.

Amnesty also called on regional and international actors, including the AU, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and the United Nations, to take urgent measures to protect civilians, support independent investigations into alleged violations and ensure unhindered access for journalists, humanitarian organisations and human rights monitors.

The latest conflict comes against the backdrop of years of armed conflict in Ethiopia, including the 2020–2022 Tigray war. Amnesty said the previous conflict caused widespread displacement and serious human rights abuses, with accountability for alleged violations remaining limited.

The AU Peace and Security Council held its first session on Ethiopia in November 2021, about a year after the previous Tigray conflict began. A subsequent peace agreement signed in November 2022 formally ended major hostilities, although the humanitarian and displacement consequences have continued.

Amnesty warned that the renewed fighting requires an urgent regional response to prevent further civilian harm and address the broader accountability crisis surrounding Ethiopia’s conflicts.

Mustaqbal