The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a sharp condemnation following the fatal shooting of three healthcare workers in Ethiopia’s Amhara region, as the ongoing armed conflict between federal forces and regional militias continues to devastate civilian infrastructure including the country’s already fragile healthcare system.
According to the WHO Director-General, the three victims were from the North Mecha district in North Gojjam Zone and were killed on April 2, 2026. Two of them, including a nurse, were employed at the Abiote Fana Primary Health Centre, while the third worked at a private health facility in the area. The killings took place amid what WHO described as an expanding conflict involving Ethiopian government and regional forces across the Amhara region.
In response to the incident, the WHO chief called for the immediate protection of health workers operating in conflict zones and urged authorities to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into the deaths. The international health body stressed that attacks on medical personnel constitute a grave violation of international humanitarian law and directly undermine communities’ access to life-saving care.
Separately, the Ethiopian Medical Association (AMA) issued an urgent call for the release of a number of medical professionals who have been detained or abducted amid the broader conflict and security crackdown in the region. The Association stressed that the continued detention of healthcare workers not only violates their fundamental rights but also deepens an already severe healthcare access crisis for millions of civilians caught in the crossfire.
The situation in Amhara has steadily deteriorated over the past two years as federal troops and Fano militia groups clash across multiple zones, including North Gojjam and North Shewa. Human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have documented a pattern of targeted violence against healthcare workers, including killings, abductions, looting of medical supplies, and raids on health facilities carried out by various armed actors in the region.
Humanitarian aid agencies report that access to medical care across much of Amhara remains critically restricted, with violence and insecurity hampering the operations of both local and international organizations. The UN estimates that millions of people in the region lack adequate access to health services, and the killing and detention of the very professionals providing that care further compounds the humanitarian emergency.
Ethiopia’s broader healthcare system has faced enormous strain in recent years. A nationwide strike by medical professionals demanding better pay and working conditions, which saw doctors earning as little as USD 80 per month, was met by government crackdowns, including the detention of hundreds of health workers across Addis Ababa, Oromia, and Amhara. Amnesty International and other groups have called those arrests arbitrary and urged the government to release all detained medical professionals without conditions.
International observers continue to call on all parties to the conflict in Amhara to respect international humanitarian law, protect civilians and healthcare workers, and allow unhindered access for humanitarian operations.
Source: This article and the photo are based on reporting by Addis Standard, “WHO Condemns Killing of Three Healthcare Workers in Amhara Region; AMA Calls for Release of Detained, Abducted Medics” (April 9, 2026), available at addisstandard.com. Additional context drawn from Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and WHO public statements.
