Ethiopia: The Enduring Human Rights and Humanitarian Crises

Announcement

Please join the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission for a briefing on the current human rights situation in Ethiopia, the state of conflicts in Tigray, Amhara and Oromia, the status of transitional justice efforts, and prospects for improving security, respect for human rights, and democratic governance.  

Multiple conflicts continue to affect Ethiopia. In late 2020, a devastating civil war erupted between the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF), allied with Eritrean forces and Amhara militias, and forces in Tigray. While the November 2022 Pretoria Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoHA), signed in Pretoria, South Africa, technically ended large-scale conventional warfare in Tigray, international human rights organizations confirm an active, unrelenting persecution of Tigrayans, and escalating tensions threaten to reignite the war. The ongoing conflicts in the Amhara and Oromia regions continue to inflict a heavy toll. Drone strikes have been reported in all three regions in 2026. Conflict and instability have left some 1.9 million people still internally displaced and conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) remains rampant. The underlying political, ethnic, and territorial disputes in northern Ethiopia and Oromia remain unresolved, and human rights organizations have documented abuses such as extrajudicial executions, attacks on civilian infrastructure and health facilities, forced conscription, torture, systemic abuse, and forced deprivation. People in the Tigray region and parts of Amhara were unable to vote in the June 2026 national elections in Ethiopia. Amid these challenges, advocates for victims are seeking accountability and justice, such as through a universal jurisdiction complaint filed in Germany against Ethiopian and Eritrean officials. 

Briefers will provide an update on the conflicts and the human rights and humanitarian situations since the signing of the CoHA agreement, the possibility of a wider regional conflict, and prospects for transitional justice and accountability. Briefers will also offer recommendations for how the U.S. government can effectively support peace, human rights, and accountability in Ethiopia.

The briefing will be virtual via Zoom. To attend, please register here. After the briefing concludes, a recording will be made available on the Commission website. For any questions, please contact Todd Stein (for Co-Chair McGovern) or Mark Milosch (for Co-Chair Smith).

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