Press Release from Federation of Amharas in North America (FANA)
- AAA-admin
- Nov 17
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EMAIL: fanalightofamhara@gmail.com WEBSITE : FANAAMHARA.ORG
Ref # FANA_2025_00193
DATE NOVEMBER 15,2025
For immediate release
15 November 2025
Subject: War Crimes and Genocide Under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Demand Independent International Investigation
FANA- Federation of Amharas in North America issues this press release to highlight continuing, widespread grave human rights abuses across Ethiopia under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s administration and to call for an independent, international inquiry and immediate protective actions for civilians at risk.
Since Abiy Ahmed assumed power in 2018, multiple, consistent reports from survivors, local investigators, diaspora organizations, journalists, and human rights monitors have reported a pattern of grave violations that amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and acts of ethnic or religious persecution. The allegations include repeated aerial, and drone strikes on civilian targets, mass killings of civilians including targeted attacks on Orthodox Christian communities and Amhara people of all faiths, large-scale arbitrary detention in internment-style facilities, the deployment of regular and irregular forces and mercenaries in operations against civilians, and horrific post-mortem mutilations of victims. Given the scale, duration, and consistency of these reports, FANA calls for an independent international inquiry with subpoena power and protection for witnesses.
The following are Detailed reported patterns
Aerial and drone attacks on civilians: Credible accounts describe the repeated use of military aircraft and armed drones in populated areas, striking markets, health centers, schools, homes, and places of worship with heavy civilian tolls and little apparent distinction between combatants and noncombatants. Reported incidents point to cluster and precision strikes that killed and maimed large numbers of civilians.
Targeted violence against Orthodox Christian communities: Widespread reports document deadly attacks on Ethiopian Orthodox clergy, congregations, and church property, including killings during religious services and destruction of religious sites, producing fear of systematic targeting of believers and religious institutions.
Mass violence against Amhara communities: Numerous investigations and community-led documentation indicate extensive killings, forced displacement, looting, and cultural erasure affecting Amhara civilians across multiple regions, with patterns suggesting ethnic profiling, mass detention, and denial of humanitarian aid.
Mass arbitrary detention and internment-style camps: Reports describe mass arrests of civilians on broadly applied security grounds, prolonged detention without due process, overcrowded and abusive conditions in detention facilities, restricted access for independent monitors, and credible accounts of in-custody deaths and disappearances.
Use of regular and irregular forces, militias: Evidence indicates the deployment of regular forces, irregular forces and mercenary elements in operations that resulted in civilian killings, looting, and summary executions, complicating attribution and accountability.
Extreme mistreatment and mutilation of victims: Multiple witness statements and survivor testimonies allege deliberate mutilation and desecration of bodies, acts that constitute grave breaches of humanitarian and human-rights law and reflect extreme cruelty intended to terrorize communities.
FANA demands
Launch an independent, impartial international inquiry with a mandate to investigate war crimes, crimes against humanity, and targeted persecution across Ethiopia, empowered to collect evidence, subpoena witnesses and documents, and produce a public report with recommendations for accountability.
Secure and protect evidence and witnesses, establish mechanisms (including safe relocation, confidential testimony channels, and legal protections) to shield survivors, investigators, medical personnel, journalists, and human-rights defenders from retaliation.
Immediate humanitarian and monitoring access with unfettered access to affected regions, detention sites, camps, hospitals, and displacement centers for neutral UN and independent monitors, forensic teams, and humanitarian organizations.
Immediate suspension of tools of repression, we urge nations and multilateral institutions to suspend deliveries and transfers of lethal military equipment, particularly armed drones and air munitions, pending the inquiry’s findings.
Targeted measures against government and military individuals including targeted asset freezes, travel restrictions, and other measures against those credibly implicated in ordering, facilitating, or carrying out attacks on civilians, subject to due process.
Accountability pathways to encourage referral of substantiated findings to appropriate international judicial fora (domestic courts lack impartially, requiring the International Criminal Court to act as a legitimate entity) and support for transitional justice mechanisms focused on truth, reparations, and institutional reforms.
Support for victims by mobilizing international funding and technical assistance for medical care, psychosocial support, documentation of violence, legal aid, and long-term reparations programs.
Call to institutions
To the United Nations and its human-rights Council: Immediately mandate an independent fact-finding mission and deploy special reporters to document abuses and report to the UN Human Rights Council.
To regional bodies: Urge the African Union and subregional institutions to prioritize civilian protection, support impartial investigations, and mediate for humanitarian access and ceasefire where feasible.
To the World Bank and the IMF and donors: Use diplomatic leverage, aid conditionality, and export-control tools to halt the flow of weapons that contribute to civilian harm and to demand transparency and independent verification of allegations.
To forensic, legal, and medical experts: Convene multidisciplinary teams to gather and preserve evidence to international standards, ensuring chain-of-custody and admissibility for future prosecutions.
To media and civil society: Support transparent, secure channels for reporting, corroboration of evidence, and amplification of survivor testimony while safeguarding confidentiality and safety.
The persistence of these allegations, their breadth across regions and communities, and the severe humanitarian toll demand more than statements of concern. They require decisive, transparent, and independent action to establish the truth, protect civilians, and ensure accountability. We call on the international community to act now — not in gestures, but with legally grounded, operational measures — to halt further suffering and to create a credible path toward justice for victims across Ethiopia.
FANA - The Federation of Amharas in North America
