The United States Department of State has released its 2024 human rights report on Ethiopia, highlighting widespread abuses despite the end of the Tigray civil war in 2022.
The report cites extrajudicial killings, torture, mass detentions, ethnic cleansing, and sexual violence as persistent issues, particularly in the Amhara and Oromia regions, where clashes between the Ethiopian army and militias continued throughout the year.
At least 1,351 civilians were killed nationwide between January 2023 and January 2024.
The findings, based on information from Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, also document forced displacement, looting, press restrictions, and rising cases of civilian abductions, including the July 2024 hijacking of three buses carrying 167 passengers in Oromia.
Refugees and displaced persons remain particularly vulnerable, with Ethiopia hosting large numbers fleeing regional conflicts, notably from Sudan.
In Tigray, communities continue to face the lingering impact of the 2020–2022 war.
While the Ethiopian government has taken some steps to address violence, the State Department concludes these efforts remain insufficient to halt the ongoing human rights crisis.
