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Country Case Studies

Ethiopia

A civil war that started in November 2020 in Ethiopia’s Tigray region devolved into a brutal conflict and humanitarian crisis. From the beginning of the war, witnesses reported the intentional targeting of civilians, often along ethnic lines. A ceasefire agreement in November 2022 calmed the violence, but civilians remain at serious risk of mass atrocities. The conflict has included multiple armed actors, all of whom are alleged to have committed mass atrocities. In March 2023, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken publicly stated that various parties to the conflict were committing war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing.

  • Risk of Mass Killing

    Our Early Warning Project estimates that there is a chance of a new mass killing in Ethiopia for 2022. Ethiopia ranks 7th highest-risk among 162 countries. Factors accounting for Ethiopia’s high-risk estimate are its lack of freedom of movement for men, large population, history of mass killing, and the presence of battle-related deaths.

  • A group of Ethiopians, two in the foreground and several in the background, carry belongings as they walk on a dirt road
    Justice Options for Ethiopia

    This report examines eight options to provide redress for Ethiopia's victims of mass atrocity crimes.

  • The exterior of the Holocaust Memorial Museum at dusk
    Museum Concerned about Risk of Genocide in Ethiopia

    The Museum is deeply concerned about further crimes against humanity and a heightened risk of genocide in Ethiopia’s Tigray region.

  • A crowd of Ethiopians walking down a road, one of them the center point of the photo, staring directly into the camera
    Fact Sheet

    This downloadable flyer provides background information on the mass atrocity crimes being committed against civilians in Ethiopia.

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  • A map of the Horn of Africa, Ethiopia being the focal point highlighted orange, with the northern Tigray territory highlighted in a lighter orange
    Starvation of Civilians in Tigray, Ethiopia: Justice Options

    There are credible reports that parties to the conflict have destroyed food, crops, livestock, and civilian infrastructure and that the Ethiopian government is responsible for deliberately starving civilians. This post discusses the latest developments regarding these crimes and options for accountability.

  • Addis Ababa as seen out the window of the African Union
    Risk of Genocide and other Mass Atrocities

    Learn more about immediate threats to civilians in Ethiopia and what must be done to prevent genocide and further atrocity crimes.

  • Logo for the Early Warning Project
    State of the World: Mass Killing in 2021

    Our Early Warning Project has recorded a new onset of mass killing in Ethiopia.

  • A line graph showing the total countries with ongoing mass killings from 1989 to 2020
    State of the World: Mass Killing in 2020

    Ethiopia topped the list of countries to watch for a new episode of mass killing in our 2020–21 Statistical Risk Assessment.

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Country Case Studies
Country Case Studies

Find information on historical cases of genocide and other atrocities.