News Analysis: Advocacy group sounds alarm over conflict-induced education, health crisis in Amhara; criticizes lack of international support

By Yishak Endris @Yishak_Endris

Addis Abeba – The recently held High-Level Advocacy Workshop, organized by the Forum for Higher Education Institutions in the Amhara Region, shed light on the dire humanitarian crisis unfolding in the region due to the ongoing conflict between government forces and the non-state militia, Fano.

Held under the theme “Humanitarian Response Strategy for the Amhara Region: A Call to Action,” the event, which took place on 26 November, 2024, at the Sheraton Addis, highlighted alarming consequences of the conflict.

Key revelations included that 4.7 million children in Amhara are currently out of school, with only 32% enrolled this academic year. In addition, 4,870 schools remain closed in the region primarily due to conflict and insecurity, while over 1,500 schools have been destroyed.

The conflict has also had a devastating impact on the region’s health system, resulting in the extensive looting and destruction of health institutions and the displacement of 1,116 healthcare workers.

With one million reported malaria cases and 50 fatalities to date, coupled with a surge in cholera cases, with 4,400 infections and 60 fatalities reported so far, the damage to health facilities has placed an overwhelming burden on the remaining functional ones.

The Forum for Higher Education Institutions in the Amhara Region is an advocacy organization founded by the ten public universities in the Amhara region. Its primary objective is to promote the socio-economic development of Ethiopia, with a particular focus on the Amhara region, by enhancing the quality of education, research, innovation, and community engagement.

Its latest workshop was organized in response to the worsening humanitarian crisis in the region, which has arisen primarily from the ongoing conflict between the Fano militia and security forces. It brought together key stakeholders, including ambassadors, senior government officials, and representatives from prominent international organizations such as the United Nations, the European Union, and the African Union, alongside humanitarian and human rights organizations.

Building on the momentum of the advocacy workshop held on 15 October, 2024, in Bahir Dar, the recent event aimed to deepen international engagement. According to the organizers, the workshop focused on pressing issues such as humanitarian relief, civilian protection, and the urgent need for diplomatic pressure to ensure adherence to international humanitarian laws in the Amhara region.

In his opening remarks, Tafere Melaku (PhD), Secretary General of the Forum, emphasized the dire conditions in the region.

“Millions are suffering, and there is a denial of basic necessities,” he told participants. “We have yet to fully comprehend the depth of this tragedy, which requires immediate attention.”

According to the presentation delivered during the event, 4.7 million children in the region are currently out of school due to factors such as insecurity, widespread damage to schools, and poverty. Notably, more than 50% of these out-of-school children are concentrated in the North, West, and East Gojjam zones, as well as the Central Gondar Zone.

The presentation further highlighted that 4,870 schools, constituting 47% of the region’s total schools, remain closed primarily due to conflict and insecurity. In addition, over 1,500 schools have been destroyed.

The organizers highlighted the lack of enough international support, emphasizing that the school feeding program in the region currently supports only 198,539 children.

This revelation aligns with reports by Addis Standard, which has extensively documented the challenges faced by millions of students in the Amhara region, who have been denied access to education due to the devastating impact of the conflict on the education system.

In November 2023, Addis Standard reported that approximately 3.9 million primary and secondary students, out of the six million eligible children in the region, were unable to continue their education as a result of the ongoing conflict.

Similarly, in September 2024, the media outlet highlighted a sharp decline in enrollment and widespread disruptions to education across rural towns and districts in the Amhara region during the current academic year.

The Amhara Education Bureau has acknowledged that, despite setting a target of enrolling seven million students for the current academic year, only around two million students have been registered.

The most recent news, published earlier this week, further revealed that teaching and learning activities in numerous schools across the Raya Kobo district of the North Wollo Zone have been disrupted due to ongoing security concerns.

According to the workshop organizers, the consequences of the conflict extend beyond the education sector, severely impacting the region’s health system with far-reaching negative effects.

“The ongoing conflict in the region has disrupted health services, leading to shortages of medicine and supplies, which has exacerbated the situation,” Tafere, the Secretary General, stated.

Dr. Ayele Teshome, State Minister for Health, echoed similar concerns during the event, stating that the conflict has caused extensive looting and destruction, resulting in the devastation of health institutions.

“The impact of this conflict on health and nutrition services is catastrophic,” he remarked. “There is an alarming rate of acute malnutrition, particularly among vulnerable individuals.”

Belay Bezabih, General Director of the Amhara Public Health Institute (APHI), raised comparable concerns, noting that the region is grappling with immense challenges, with millions requiring urgent humanitarian assistance.

“We need partners to save lives and strengthen their support to ensure the continuity of our health services,” Belay urged.

The call for international support comes against the backdrop of a prolonged health emergency in the region, marked by one million reported malaria cases and 50 fatalities to date. With 83,000 new cases being reported weekly, the event organizers projected that an additional half a million cases could emerge within the next six weeks.

The region is also grappling with a surge in cholera cases, with 4,400 infections and 60 fatalities reported so far.

The event organizers emphasized the critical shortages of essential medicines in the region, noting that the delivery of supplies—such as inter-agency health kits, malaria kits, vaccines, and sexual and reproductive kits—is facing significant challenges. These difficulties are compounded by concerns over the diversion of aid during the last-mile delivery process.

Fentie Ambaw, a professor at the School of Public Health at Bahir Dar University, was among the scholars who briefed participants on the humanitarian crisis in the Amhara region.

He pointed out that the damage to health facilities has placed an overwhelming burden on the remaining functional ones.

“Ethiopia is jumping from one problem to another, lagging behind in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,” Fentie emphasized.

A report published by Human Rights Watch (HRW) in July 2024 accused Ethiopian security forces and an allied militia group of perpetrating extensive attacks on medical professionals, patients, and healthcare facilities in the Amhara region since August 2023.

The report underscores the severe disruption of medical supply chains and humanitarian aid efforts resulting from the conflict, with at least nine aid workers killed.

During the High-Level Advocacy Workshop, Dr. Mizanie Abate, Senior Director of Human Rights Monitoring and Investigation at the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC), revealed that the rights group has been closely monitoring the situation.

He highlighted major concerns identified by the EHRC, including the conversion of schools into military camps, sexual violence, extrajudicial killings, kidnappings by armed groups and government forces, and the killing of government officials.

Several participants questioned the lack of international response to the unfolding crisis in the Amhara region.

One participant inquired, “How can we break the silence of the international community?”

Responding to this, Dr. Assaye Kassie, one of the panelists, emphasized the importance of generating credible evidence to demonstrate the magnitude of the crisis to the global community.

“We haven’t done enough in this regard,” he admitted.

Dr. Assaye was also asked whether the ongoing challenges in Amhara could be resolved without addressing political issues.

He stressed the need to confront the underlying causes of the crisis, stating, “What is truly important is addressing the root cause of the problem. Negotiation is the only solution.” AS