Ethiopia: Collateral No More: Amhara Civilians Face Relentless Drone Strikes – Global Inaction Enables Atrocities

Addis Abeba — Ethiopia is currently grappling with profound humanitarian suffering, as many villages, once vibrant with the laughter of schoolchildren, now resonate with the mournful wail of sirens. The skies above the Amhara region are no longer perceived as harbingers of rain or blessing but rather as symbols of terror. Since the federal government declared a state of emergency in August 2023, civilians have suffered the most under a relentless military campaign launched against the non-state militia, Fano. Yet, the international community–particularly the United States–has responded with a troubling silence.

Drone strikes have emerged as the government’s preferred method of warfare. These are not precise, surgical operations–they function instead as indiscriminate tools of collective punishment. Across numerous towns, the targets have not been military installations but rather schoolyards, marketplaces, churches, and farmlands. While the Ethiopian government asserts that it is combating “extremists,” one must ask: how does it justify the dismembered bodies of children, the farmers burned alive in their fields, or the priests killed in the middle of worship?

There are a number of documented drone strikes that devastated civilian communities across Amhara. These are not isolated incidents–they are part of a broader campaign. One of the deadliest incidents occurred in April, 2025, in Gedeb, East Gojjam Zone. A drone strike hit a crowd of civilians–including teachers and students–who were cleaning a school compound for the upcoming semester. According to survivors, more than 100 people were killed in a matter of seconds.

In mid-February 2025, a drone strike in the Ambasel district of South Wollo Zone claimed the lives of four individuals, including three children. According to local residents, the strike also destroyed several homes. Just a week earlier, another drone strike hit Zenbo Kebele in the Efrata Gidem district of North Shewa Zone. This attack killed three civilians, among them a pregnant woman and her six-year-old daughter, a family member reported. In November 2023, two separate drone strikes–one at a bus station and another targeting a primary school–resulted in the deaths of at least 20 civilians.

A report released by the UN Human Rights Council in March 2024 indicates that approximately 100 drone strikes were carried out in the Amhara region in the months following the declaration of a state of emergency in August 2023. According to the report, these strikes resulted in the deaths of at least 479 civilians between August 2023 and January 2024.

Price of conflict

Meanwhile, the cost of the conflict in the Amhara region continues to rise, taking its toll on its population and infrastructure. Despite an earlier announcement extending student registration until March 9, 2025, the Amhara Regional Education Bureau recently reported that more than 4.5 million students remain out of school, with over 3,600 schools closed across the region. This marks an increase of over half a million students since October 2023, when the bureau stated that approximately 3.9 million primary and secondary students–out of six million eligible children–had been unable to attend school during the 2023 academic year.

Recent reports also indicate that farmers in the conflict-affected Amhara region are grappling with a severe shortage of chemical fertilizers, now selling at twice last year’s price. Escalating clashes between federal forces and Fano militants have disrupted vital agricultural supply chains, posing serious risks to both crop production and rural livelihoods. According to small-scale farmers in the region, the ongoing conflict is delaying the timely delivery of inputs for the dry cultivation season, known as Belg, and jeopardizing preparations for the main harvesting season, Meher.

Despite the mounting evidence, there has been no independent investigation, no sanctions, and no meaningful pressure on the Ethiopian government to stop targeting its own citizens.”

Furthermore, the Amhara Health Bureau reported last year that the region’s health infrastructure has suffered extensive damage amid the armed conflict between government security forces and the non-state militia group known as Fano. According to the bureau, 967 health facilities have been looted or destroyed as a result of the fighting. Road closures linked to the conflict have also severely disrupted the delivery of urgent food aid to drought-affected communities.

The overall cost of the conflict is staggering. In February 2025, officials from the Amhara region announced that they are seeking $10 billion in recovery funding to address the ongoing crisis.

Silence or justice

These real-world tragedies–market casualties, destroyed schools, lost churches–have unleashed a generational trauma. The United Nations and Amnesty International have expressed concern, but more often in whispers than in action. Human Rights Watch and other watchdogs have begun collecting testimonies. Yet despite the mounting evidence, there has been no independent investigation, no sanctions, and no meaningful pressure on the Ethiopian government to stop targeting its own citizens.

The U.S. Embassy in Addis Abeba recently issued a statement that initially included a pointed appeal: “…we call for the federal government to immediately cease the use of drone strikes against its own people.” However, within hours, that critical line was removed. The revised version instead stated, “…we call on the federal government to continue seeking peaceful resolutions without violence.”

After numerous independent reports confirming drone strikes and civilian casualties, why did the U.S. Embassy choose to delete its public call for the Ethiopian government to halt such attacks? What message does it send when America–self-declared champion of human rights–turns a blind eye to such human suffering?

Ignoring the death of Amharas from the public record is not only an insult to justice–it is a moral failure that scars America’s credibility and deepens the historical wound inflicted on the people. If peace is to be genuine, it must begin with truth. Selective outrage and political convenience will never bring reconciliation. In fact, this injustice is a symptom of a broader global moral decay.

The drones still hover. The children still scream. The time for neutrality has long passed–yet global powers such as the United States continue to issue vague appeals for “all parties” to negotiate peace. However, for such calls to carry any real weight, these actors must first address the credibility gap surrounding their role in Ethiopia’s peace process.