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Ethiopia

https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/

July 2024

Restriction of civic space as over 1,500 civil society organisations have their licenses revoked

On 8 July, the Ethiopia’s Authority for Civil Society Organizations (ASCO) announced the closure of at least 1,504 civil society organisations (CSOs), citing non-compliance with annual reporting requirements. CSOs are reportedly struggling to meet ASCO reporting requirements due to underfunding and a lack of administrative capacity. According to the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, an NGO, the closures have created a climate of fear, isolation and stigmatization within Ethiopian civil society. It described the closures as ‘unprecedented’ and noted that it was part of a broader and ongoing crackdown on civic space, human rights organisations and independent media.

Sources: International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), The Reporter, Human Rights Watch  

April 2024

Tens of thousands displaced by armed clashes in disputed territory

On 22 April, the UN reported that over 50,000 people had been displaced by armed clashes in northern Ethiopia, including the districts of Raya Alamata, Zata and Ofla. The report described the humanitarian situation of the displaced as ‘dire…with thousands of women and children in need of broad humanitarian support to survive.’ Media outlets were not able to identify the fighters but reported them as being from the rival Tigray and Amhara provinces. Since the end of the Tigray War in 2022, tensions between Tigrayans and Amhara in the area have been heightened by an unresolved territorial dispute over Raya Alamata, which both provinces claim.

Sources: United Nations, Addis Standard, The Africa Report (1), British Broadcasting Corporation, The Africa Report (2)

Prominent opposition politician shot dead in alleged extrajudicial killing

In April, a prominent politician from the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) was shot dead and his body found by the side of a road, in what some have alleged was an extrajudicial killing by government security forces. Bate Urgessa, a senior political officer within the OLF, one of Ethiopia’s largest political parties, was an outspoken critic of the Ethiopian government and had been imprisoned on numerous occasions. In February, he had been detained for conspiring to incite unrest after being interviewed by a French journalist. Extra-judicial killings are common in Ethiopia’s Oromia region, where they are reported to have been carried out by government security forces and the separatist rebels, the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), in their long running conflict. The OLF, OLA and Urgessa’s family have all suggested military involvement in his death, with the latter alleging that people who looked like government security forces had abducted him from his hotel room the morning before his body was found. Oromia’s regional government denied the charge, but condemned the killing and promised an investigation into it. On 12 April, it was reported that 13 unnamed suspects had been arrested.         

Sources: Addis Standard, The Africa Report, British Broadcasting Corporation, Associated Press, Reuters, Human Rights Watch 

February 2024

Civilians reportedly murdered in Amhara; State of Emergency extended

The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) reported on 13 February that at least 45 civilians had been killed in Merawi, Amhara in late January. The EHRC stated that they had been killed by government security services who suspected them of supporting or being members of the Fano militia group. Other reports suggest the number of people killed may be as high as 80. An Ethiopian government spokesman denied the reports, asserting that civilians would never be targeted. Elsewhere in Amhara in February, at least 15 civilians were killed when the truck in which they were travelling was hit by an airstrike, likely launched from a drone. At the beginning of February, the lower chamber of the national legislature (House of People’s Representatives) extended the State of Emergency in Amhara (which began in August 2023) for an additional four months.

Sources: Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, Al Jazeera, British Broadcasting Corporation, Associated Press, Reuters

August 2023

Human rights situation in Amhara deteriorates as heavy fighting breaks out
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The human rights situation in Ethiopia’s Amhara region deteriorated in August, as heavy fighting broke out between the Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) and Amhara militias known as Fano. The fighting follows months of tension and sporadic clashes over the federal government’s plans to disband the country’s regional forces. It began in early August when Fano fighters moved into towns and cities across the region, where they attacked police stations and regional administrators. The federal government responded by moving in the ENDF, which reportedly struck urban areas with heavy weaponry. The fighting caused large-scale civilian casualties, disrupted access to basic services and confined residents to their homes. Reports also indicate that the government shut down the internet and used broad powers acquired under a state of emergency declared on 4 August to carry out mass arrests, with journalists and an opposition MP amongst those detained. The UN called for an end to the arrests and the release of those arbitrarily detained.

Sources: Africa Confidential, The Economist, British Broadcasting Corporation, International IDEA, Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, United Nations

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Global ranking per category of democratic performance in 2023

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Representation
123/173
Rights
132/173
Rule of Law
137/173
Participation
102/173
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Basic Information

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Population Tooltip
126 527 060
System of government
Parliamentary system
Head of government
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (since 2018)
Head of government party
Prosperity Party
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
First Past the Post
Women in lower or single chamber
41.3%
Women in upper chamber
29.7%
Last legislative election
2021
Head of state
President Sahle-Work Zewde
Selection process for head of state
Indirect election (assembly)
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
14/05/2019
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
94.29%
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Human Rights Treaties

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State Party State party
Signatory Signatory
No Action No action
United Nations Human Right Treaties
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
State Party
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
State Party
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
State Party
Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
State Party
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment
State Party
Convention on the Rights of the Child
State Party
International Convention on Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
No Action
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance 
No Action
International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
State Party
International Labour Organisation Treaties
Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention
State Party
Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention
State Party
Equal Remuneration Convention
State Party
Abolition of Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention
State Party
Convention concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment
State Party
Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention
State Party
Regional Treaties
African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights
State Party
in
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Performance by category over the last 6 months

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Representation neutral Rule of law
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Representation neutral Participation
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Global State of Democracy Indices

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Representation
Representation
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high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rights
Rights
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high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rule of Law
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high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Participation
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high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4

Factors of Democratic Performance Over Time

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