1ºThe Amhara Popular Front (APF) condemns the ongoing war crimes and genocidal violence being committed against the Amhara people of Ethiopia by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali’s ethnic-based brutal government.
Over the last five years, Abiy Ahmed's regime has pursued a vicious agenda of ethnic cleansing and genocide targeting the Amhara population. The ruling Oromo People‘s Democratic Organization (OPDO) and its ideological partner, the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), have orchestrated a horrifying series of displacements and mass killings that have left hundreds of thousands of Amharas dead and millions displaced. The nation’s capital, Addis Ababa, once a diverse and thriving city, has been shaken by an appalling campaign of ethnic cleansing, with hundreds of thousands of Amhara citizens forcibly evicted from their homes, countless imprisoned, and their dwellings bulldozed by the tens of thousands.
The situation has recently escalated even further, as Abiy Ahmed's regime launched an all-out war on the Amhara region. The government has shut down the Internet to control the narrative and conceal their crimes from the global community. The war has reached horrifying levels, with heavy weaponry and drones being used against defenseless civilians, religious institutions, and historical sites. A case in point is the recent aggression that included the deployment of drone and air attacks on the cities of Debre Birhan and Gondar. Among the horrific casualties is the Fasiledes Castle — an iconic symbol of the nation's history and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It is the conviction of the APF that only through a unified effort involving both the Ethiopian population and the international community that a path to lasting peace and reconciliation can be paved. Therefore, in the face of these genocidal attacks and war crimes, the APF:
Urgently demands the immediate resignation of Abiy Ahmed's regime, and the establishment of a transitional process leading to a new government built on principles of inclusivity, unity and National reconciliation to heal the deep wounds inflicted by years of ethnic violence;
Calls upon the Ethiopian National Defense Forces to refuse any orders that involve attacking civilians, and instead rally behind the establishment of a transitional government of national unity;
Calls upon all democratic and peace-living groups in the country and elsewhere to work in unison to bring a lasting solution that prevents further loss of innocent lives and the escalation of violence beyond its borders; and
Appeals to the international community to break its silence and condemn and halt the genocidal war against the Amhara people, hold those responsible for the unspeakable acts accountable and support all efforts toward a sustainable resolution to the conflict in Ethiopia.
Amhara Popular Front