The Untold Human Cost of Armed Conflict in the Amhara Region
The ongoing conflict between the Ethiopian military and regional militias known as Fano has created a humanitarian catastrophe largely invisible to the international community. At the center of this crisis is an epidemic of sexual violence against women that has left thousands traumatized, pregnant, infected with diseases, and struggling to rebuild shattered lives.
Since August 2023, when the Fano rebellion began in response to the government’s attempt to disband regional military groups, women and girls across the Amhara region have become systematic targets of rape and sexual assault. The scale of the violence is staggering: data compiled from health facilities reveals 2,697 reported cases of rape between July 2023 and May 2025, with victims ranging in age from eight years old to 65. Children under 18 account for 45% of all reported cases.
Yet these figures represent only a fraction of the true toll. Medical professionals and human rights experts characterize the documented cases as “the tip of the iceberg,” noting that many victims never report their assaults or seek treatment due to stigma, fear, and the collapse of public services in conflict zones.
The Conflict’s Origins and Backdrop
The roots of the current conflict trace back to the government’s 2023 decision to disband regional military groups that had fought alongside the Ethiopian army during the 2020-2022 civil war in neighboring Tigray. The Fano militias, composed primarily of local volunteers from the Amhara region, viewed this move as a betrayal that would leave their communities vulnerable to attacks. They cite concerns about marginalization by the federal government and intensifying violence against Amhara people elsewhere in Ethiopia.
In response, Fano launched an armed rebellion, seizing major towns and declaring their fight as one for regional autonomy and community protection. The government has characterized the group as “radical ethno-nationalists,” and the army has launched a violent crackdown that rights organizations say has been disproportionately responsible for documented abuses.
Both sides have been accused of human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detention, forced displacement, and widespread sexual violence. However, Amnesty International and other rights groups have documented evidence suggesting the Ethiopian National Defence Force bears disproportionate responsibility for sexual violence cases, particularly in urban areas where the military maintains bases.
Stories of Trauma and Devastation
The human reality behind these statistics is heartbreaking. Enat, a 21-year-old Amhara woman and member of the region’s predominantly Orthodox Christian community, was attacked in her home on January 5, 2024, when soldiers conducting a routine search questioned her about whether Fano fighters had visited the beer hall where she worked. Three soldiers in army uniform entered her home where her eight-year-old niece was present. After threatening the child with a gun, one soldier raped Enat in front of her niece while others stood guard.
Before this assault, Enat had never had sexual contact with a man. In her community, women follow the Orthodox Christian tradition of remaining “pure” until marriage, a deeply revered cultural practice. The violation destroyed not only her physical body but her entire sense of identity and future.
A month after the attack, Enat discovered she was pregnant. Faced with the option of abortion, which is legally permitted in Ethiopia for rape victims within 12 weeks, she chose to carry the pregnancy to term due to religious fears and concern for her mother. She gave birth to a daughter in September after three days of labor. Now living with a relative, unable to work because she must care for her infant daughter, Enat faces an uncertain future with minimal resources.
Tigist, 18, experienced a different but equally devastating trajectory. A regular customer at her family’s traditional teahouse groped her in January 2024. When she rejected his advances, the man, dressed in military uniform, returned later that day with two other soldiers and gang-raped her on the street as she walked home from work. Her family found her unconscious on the roadside and took her to a clinic, where she spent five days recovering from physical injuries.
The psychological trauma proved more lasting than the physical wounds. Tigist became unable to leave her house, paralyzed by fear of men and the outside world. She broke off her engagement without explaining why and fell into severe depression. Her despair became so profound that she attempted suicide, stopped only by her family’s intervention. She remains in psychological distress, though she has promised her family not to attempt her life again.
Lemlem, 23, was attacked on January 6 by a government soldier who entered her home during what authorities claimed was a routine information-gathering operation. When she refused to provide what he demanded, he raped her while threatening to shoot her if she screamed. The trauma drove her away from her church community, where she feared becoming the subject of gossip. Her devastation reflects the unique burden placed on women in her culture, where female virginity before marriage is valued above almost all other virtues.
“It’s repulsive to have been born a woman,” Lemlem told investigators. “If I were a man, they might have beaten me and walked away—they wouldn’t have destroyed my life like this.”
Medical and Public Health Crisis
Medical professionals in the Amhara region report a sharp increase in sexual violence cases since the conflict began. Patients arrive at clinics “trembling and too intimidated even to speak,” according to medics interviewed for this report. The medical consequences are severe and far-reaching.
Just over half of the 2,697 documented rape victims tested positive for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Many others became pregnant as a result of rape, while virtually all experienced severe psychological trauma. Children represent a particularly vulnerable population, with 45% of all reported cases involving minors.
A critical medical concern involves access to post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for HIV prevention. This treatment is highly effective but only when administered soon after potential exposure to HIV. Many victims arrive at health facilities days or weeks after attacks when the medication is no longer effective. The conflict has disrupted transportation networks and created road blockages, preventing timely access to treatment even for those willing to seek it.
A senior health official warned that a public health crisis of catastrophic proportions may be developing. “We have identified signs that HIV infections may rise and that mental health and psychological problems could reach catastrophic levels,” the official stated. Some victims have already attempted suicide, foreshadowing a potential mental health emergency in coming months and years.
The baseline context makes this even more alarming: the HIV rate in the Amhara region was already elevated at 1.1 per 100 people in 2022, higher than the national average.
Barriers to Justice and Support
The collapse of civil order has created additional barriers for survivors. Most victims who seek medical treatment do so out of fear of pregnancy rather than seeking justice. Very few are willing to name their attackers, in part because the conflict has dismantled law enforcement capacity and the judicial system.
Stigma remains a powerful deterrent to reporting. Many women fear social ostracism and gossip within their communities, which can make marriage prospects impossible and render them economically dependent and socially isolated. This fear explains why countless victims never access medical care, leaving actual assault numbers far higher than reported statistics.
Accountability and International Response
The international community has taken note of these allegations. In June 2024, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights reported that the Ethiopian National Defence Force had perpetrated sexual violence, including against minors, in the Amhara region during the conflict.
Despite multiple requests, Ethiopia’s ministry of defence has not responded to allegations of sexual violence by its forces. Regional authorities have similarly refused to provide detailed information. A Fano leader, Asres Mare Damtie, denied any involvement by the militia in sexual violence, claiming no accusations had been made against Fano fighters and asserting that the group enforces severe punishment, including death, for sexual offenses.
Amnesty International’s regional researcher, Haimanot Ashenafi, expressed deep concern about persistent patterns of impunity: “There is no meaningful effort to bring perpetrators into justice. They’re still fighting, they are still out there with no consequences for what they’ve done. Survivors who have gone through this life-changing experience deserve justice.”
The government has commissioned an investigation through Ethiopia’s Bahir Dar University to examine conflict-related sexual violence in Amhara, with findings expected to be released publicly in the coming months. However, historical precedent raises questions about accountability. When similar allegations emerged during the 2020-2022 Tigray conflict, when Fano actually fought alongside the army, the government dismissed claims as “biased and flawed,” and no official action has been publicly disclosed against perpetrators.
Looking Forward
The crisis in Amhara represents one of the world’s most severe and least-documented humanitarian emergencies. With international media largely restricted from accessing the region, the full scope of sexual violence remains unknown. What is clear is that thousands of women and girls have had their lives irrevocably altered by rape and sexual assault in a conflict that receives minimal international attention.
For survivors like Enat, struggling to raise a daughter born from rape while living in poverty; Tigist, unable to leave her house due to psychological trauma; and Lemlem, isolated from her community and her faith—the conflict continues daily. The physical and psychological scars will require decades of healing. The pursuit of justice remains elusive, and impunity persists for those responsible.
Until the international community brings greater pressure for accountability and ensures that survivors receive the medical, psychological, and legal support they desperately need, the suffering in Amhara will continue in silence.
Editor’s Note
This article is based on reporting by the BBC that compiled data from 43 health facilities across the Amhara region, approximately 4% of all health facilities in the region, as well as interviews with medical professionals, survivors, and regional experts. The BBC team conducted this investigation from Nairobi, Kenya, due to restrictions preventing international media access to the Amhara region. The names and identifying details of all survivors have been changed to protect their privacy and safety. This article presents information sourced from and based upon BBC journalism, presented in standard news format for informational purposes. Readers are encouraged to consult the original BBC reporting for comprehensive coverage and multimedia content. The serious allegations documented in this report regarding sexual violence, military conduct, and humanitarian concerns reflect deeply troubling claims that warrant international attention, investigation, and accountability mechanisms by appropriate authorities and human rights organizations.
Source Attribution: This article is based on reporting and data compiled by the BBC, including interviews conducted by BBC journalists and data analysis from health facilities and medical sources in the Amhara region of Ethiopia.
