Ethiopia: at least 183 dead in Amhara clashes since July (UN)

At least 183 people have been killed since July in clashes in the Ethiopian state of Amhara, which has been plagued by violence for several weeks, the United Nations announced on Tuesday.

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights also expressed "concern about the human rights situation" in the country since a state of emergency was declared at the beginning of August, citing reports of "mass arrests".

"In the Amhara region, following an upsurge in clashes between the Ethiopian army and the regional Fano militia, and the declaration of a state of emergency on 4 August, the situation has worsened considerably", Marta Hurtado, spokeswoman for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), told reporters in Geneva.

"At least 183 people have been killed in clashes since July, according to information gathered by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights", the OHCHR spokeswoman continued.

Amhara, Ethiopia's second most populous state, has been the scene of armed violence since April, triggered by the federal government's desire to disband the Amhara "special forces".

The federal government declared a state of emergency on 4 August after fresh fighting in early July between the federal army and Amhara fighters, including members of the Fano regional "self-defence" militia.

"We are very concerned about the deterioration of the human rights situation in certain regions of Ethiopia", said Marta Hurtado, stressing that the state of emergency gives the authorities wide powers.

In particular, it allows them to arrest suspects without a court order, impose curfews and ban public gatherings, she detailed."We have received reports that more than 1,000 people have been arrested throughout Ethiopia under this law.

Many of them are young people of Amhara ethnic origin suspected of being supporters of Fano", she said."Since the beginning of August, massive house-to-house searches have reportedly taken place", she added."We call on the authorities to put an end to the mass arrests, to ensure that any deprivation of liberty is subject to judicial review, and to release those arbitrarily detained", she said, calling on all those involved in the conflict "to put an end to the killings, other violations and abuses".

Tensions in Amhara have increased since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced that he wanted to dismantle the "special forces", paramilitary units set up by a number of regi 

Tensions in Amhara have increased since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced that he wanted to dismantle the "special forces", paramilitary units set up by a number of regional states to protect the people of Amhara.

Tensions in Amhara have increased since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced that he wanted to dismantle the "special forces", paramilitary units created by a number of regional states.