Ethiopia Weekly Update (10 September 2024)

Situation summary

A kidnapping incident led to violence, resulting in reported civilian fatalities in Gondar city, Amhara, as fighting continued elsewhere in the region. In Central Ethiopia region, the surge of violence led to the deployment of federal forces. Meanwhile, clashes between the OLA/OLF-Shane and government forces have reduced.

Security forces use force against protesters in Gondar

In Amhara region, Gondar city, the kidnapping of a 2-year-old girl on 30 August, and the subsequent killing of the victim on 2 September by an unidentified armed group, sparked a protest in Gondar city. Thousands of demonstrators gathered to denounce the killing and express outrage.¹ Protesters clashed with Amhara state police and kebele militias, who opened fire, fatally shooting at least four protesters, with some sources claiming that as many as 25 protesters were killed.²

Authorities in Gondar city blamed “forces that do not want peace and security” in the city for the kidnapping attack, and announced the arrest of 49 suspects.³ Security officials in Gondar indicated that 64 kidnapping incidents had occurred in Gondar over the past year, adding that arrests of some security force members had occurred in connection to kidnapping cases.⁴ In a report released on 3 September, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission said it had found that a breakdown of security and governance structures as a result of prolonged conflicts in Amhara and Oromia regions had led to attacks targeting civilians, both by parties to the conflict and by criminal elements.⁵ Kidnapping for ransom has become a major issue in the country. In July, 100 students were kidnapped by armed men in an area near the Oromia and Amhara regional borders. 

Meanwhile, clashes continued between Fano militias and security forces in Amhara region, with fighting reported in Central Gondar, West Gondar, West Gojam, East Gojam, North Shewa, and North Wello zones. Fano forces clashed with security forces on 1 September in and around Metema town in West Gondar zone — located at the border with Sudan. On 2 September, the group briefly took control of several areas before being driven from the town by federal forces on 3 September. The two conflicting parties continue to fight on 5 September. Clashes in Metema and its environs have disrupted the Galabat border crossing, which was closed by Sudan when the clash erupted.⁶

ENDF members deployed as violence persists in Central Ethiopia region

Violence in connection with the dispute between Meskan and Mareko ethnic groups over the ownership of nine kebeles continued last week, prompting the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) to deploy troops to the area. From 30 August to 1 September, 12 civilians were reportedly killed, but it is unclear who killed them. Seven of these civilians were killed in Mareko Special woreda, while five others were killed in Inseno town in Misrak Meskan woreda. A few days earlier, on 27 August, members of the Meskan ethnic militia who came from East Meskan woreda shot and killed seven ethnic Mareko civilians and wounded four others in Dida Halebo kebele in Mareko Special woreda.

Last week, Central Ethiopia Regional President Endeshaw Tasew said the government was taking various measures to stop the violence in this area, including arresting officials involved in this conflict. He also stated that the regional government would make its decision to resolve the conflict in the Ethiopian new year, which is being celebrated today.⁷

Political violence eases in Oromia region

In Oromia region, clashes between the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA)  — referred to by the government as the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF)-Shane —  and security forces continued to decrease, marking a positive trend in the region. Confrontation between these two actors has decreased since April. No official peace talks have been announced since two failed attempts last year, and there is no indication that the conflict will end anytime soon. 

Despite a reduction in clashes between the OLA/OLF-Shane and government forces, violence against civilians in the region still occurs sporadically due to ethnic-based attacks in areas where Amhara civilians are present in high numbers. For example, two weeks ago, violence, including violence against civilians, surged in Dera woreda, North Shewa zone, as a result of battles between the OLA/OLF-Shane and Fano militias. 

Ethiopia at a Glance

31 August-6 September 2024

The data cover the period from 31 August to 6 September 2024. For more information about how ACLED collects data and categorizes events, see the ACLED Codebook. Some events from this coverage period might be included in the data in subsequent weeks due to reporting delays.

• Political Violence Events⁸: 32
• -6% from previous week
• Demonstration Events⁹: 2
• 0% from previous week

• Battles: 26 Events
• Explosions/Remote Violence: 1 Event
• Violence Against Civilians: 4 Events
• Mob Violence: 0 Events
• Protests: 2 Events
• Violent Demonstrations: 0 Events