A recent report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) has alleged that Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia’s Amhara region have been subjected to violence, abductions, and forced labour during the ongoing conflict between government forces and Fano militias.
According to HRW, refugees who fled Sudan’s conflict, which erupted in April 2023, have experienced multiple security incidents between May and September 2024, with the situation intensifying in August and September due to clashes between militias and federal forces near refugee camps.
However, Ethiopia’s Refugee and Returnee Service (RRS) has dismissed the report, calling the allegations of abuses, killings, and looting by local militias and gangs “unfounded and erroneous.”
HRW has urged the Ethiopian government to uphold its responsibility to protect refugees and relocate them to safer areas. Ethiopia currently hosts over 90,000 Sudanese refugees and asylum seekers, including more than 38,000 who fled following the outbreak of armed conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces in April 2023.
