Amnesty International warns of renewed Ethiopia conflict

Amnesty International has called for an emergency African Union session on the renewed Ethiopia Tigray conflict, warning that communication blackouts are concealing escalating violence. Fighting between Tigrayan forces, their allies, and the Ethiopian National Defence Force has significantly intensified across southern Tigray, Northern Amhara, and Western Afar since September 21.

Heavy weapons and aerial attacks have been widely used, targeting towns including Axum and the regional capital Mekelle. Federal advances and rebel counter-moves around the southern Tigray towns of Maychew and Alamata have reportedly left civilians dead or wounded and put critical civilian infrastructure at further risk.

Civilians face mounting risks from attacks and communication blackouts

Civilian infrastructure, including several schools, has been damaged or targeted during aerial attacks. Amnesty International reported receiving credible accounts of destroyed civilian objects through artillery shelling and air strikes.

The disruption of phone and internet service across Tigray and parts of Afar and Amhara, combined with increasing restrictions on civic space, raises serious concerns that grave human rights violations could occur hidden from independent monitoring. Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s regional director for East and Southern Africa, stated that cutting communications in conflict areas is a well-documented pattern in Ethiopia’s wars. Such restrictions have often hidden atrocities and cut civilians off from help.

On September 25, a subnational internet disruption in northern Ethiopia was reported, lining up with a telecoms blackout in Tigray as fighting spilled toward neighbouring regions. A shopkeeper in Mekelle told reporters that people were rushing to stock up because they feared banks, phones, power and basic goods could be cut again. Authorities must restore communications at once and ensure unhindered access for journalists, humanitarian organizations, and human rights monitors.

Forced conscription and violations reported amid collapsing ceasefire

Amnesty International has also received credible reports of intensified forced conscription and other acts that may constitute violations of international humanitarian and human rights law. This comes as the African Union-guaranteed ceasefire agreement has effectively collapsed.

Tigere Chagutah stated the AU helped guarantee the ceasefire that has now effectively collapsed. The African Union's Peace and Security Council cannot wait for mass atrocities or a surge in civilian deaths before putting Ethiopia on the agenda. The Council should activate its response tools and mobilize member states before it is too late.

Regional fears grow as accountability remains absent

Fears of the conflict spreading across borders are rising. The current outbreak comes on the backdrop of six years of persistent armed conflict across Ethiopia, including in the Oromia region, which has devastated communities. Most armed actors involved in the fighting are linked to serious violations of international law.

Despite the scale and gravity of these abuses, meaningful and independent accountability remains largely absent. Regional and international actors, including the AU, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, and the UN, must address this deeply entrenched accountability crisis. They must take urgent measures to protect civilians from harm and renew efforts to restore independent investigations into serious violations committed by all parties.

The starting point, according to Amnesty International, is for the African Union's Peace and Security Council to urgently convene an emergency session to activate response mechanisms and mobilize member states before mass atrocities unfold.