ALBAWABA - The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said today that the Ethiopian forces committed a massacre in Amhara state in late January which led to the killing of at least 45 civilians.
"Monitoring conducted by the EHRC to date has enabled the Commission to confirm the identity of at least 45 civilians who were extrajudicially killed by government security forces for allegedly 'supporting Fano'," EHRC said in a statement, referring to a militia from Amhara.
"However, it can be assumed that the number of victims is even higher," EHRC reported.
The EHRC said that at least 15 additional persons, including women, were slain during a door-to-door search by government personnel in a separate district of Amhara earlier this month.
The executions in Merawi came after months of fighting between Ethiopia's military and Fano last year, prompting the US to ask for an inquiry last week.
According to the EHRC, security personnel apprehended and arrested an unknown number of persons in Merawi on suspicion of being Fano members.
The AFP sought feedback from the federal administration in Addis Ababa but did not receive a response.
Fano members fought alongside government forces during the two-year conflict in the neighboring province of Tigray but fell out after Addis Ababa signed a peace agreement with Tigrayan rebel authorities in 2022.
After conflict erupted in Amhara last year, the federal government declared a state of emergency in August, which parliament prolonged by four months in February.
In a statement released on X, EHRC president Daniel Bekele stated that the commission "reiterates its call to end extrajudicial killings, ensure accountability, and demonstrate all parties' commitment to peaceful dialogue".
