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Addis Ababa: Clashes between Ethiopian federal forces and militias in the country’s north-west are placing fleeing Sudanese refugees at “grave risk,” Human Rights Watch (HRW) warned on Thursday.
The Fano militia, based in Amhara state, is one of several regional groups battling the federal government since it vowed to crush paramilitary forces in April 2023.
A government state of emergency in Amhara, home to some 23 million people, expired in June but the unrest has continued, with a large contingent of federal forces deployed in September.
The region borders Sudan, itself embroiled in a civil war between the Rapid Support Forces and the country’s de facto ruler Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan since 2023, with tens of thousands fleeing.
“Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia have been targets of abuses for more than a year from various armed actors,” HRW’s deputy Africa director Laetitia Bader said.
“These refugees have fled horrific abuses back home and urgently need protection, not further threats to their lives.”
HRW said in a report that “armed men and local militias have committed murder, beatings, looting, kidnapping for ransom and forced labor” near two camps.
The abuses have been ongoing since June 2023, according to HRW, which conducted phone interviews with 20 refugees in three camps and a transit center earlier this year.
The rights body also accused the Ethiopian government of placing the camps in areas prone to local skirmishes prior to the outbreak of war in Sudan and yet still providing only “limited security.”
“We wanted to be safe when we left Sudan, but the beatings and robbery (in Ethiopia) were a lot for us to take,” a 45-year-old refugee told HRW.
“My kids were crying,” the refugee said, describing how the police and military beat them in front of their children.
“They started insulting us, saying if we didn’t want to stay in Ethiopia, then we should go back to our country, to Sudan.”
The individual, who was not named for their safety, said: “Every time the (Ethiopian authorities) promise something, nothing changes.”
HRW said it sent the report’s preliminary findings to Ethiopia’s refugee service, which acknowledged the camps were “relatively close to conflict areas” but said there was “adequate security.”
Escalating Amhara clashes prompted the closure of Awlala and Kumer camps in July, it added.