Attacks in northern Ethiopia are pushing the region’s fragile health system closer to collapse, according to the World Health Organization’s chief. Renewed fighting has reportedly shattered a November 2022 peace agreement between the federal government and rebel forces in the Tigray region, sparking fears of wider conflict.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated on X that children were among those reportedly killed at the Jaari 2 displacement camp in Amhara. In Rama, in neighboring Tigray, several people were reportedly killed while attempting to obtain food. Tedros did not provide casualty numbers or specific dates for the attacks, nor did he identify the perpetrators, but he broadly referred to drone attacks and frequent civilian casualties across Ethiopia.
No immediate government response or public statement addressing the reported attacks was available. Tedros also noted that hospitals in the north are experiencing shortages of health workers, medicines, and equipment, with severely limited ambulance services and insecurity obstructing medical deliveries. WHO and other United Nations agencies are working to provide additional supplies.
"Civilians must be protected. Health workers and humanitarian supplies must be allowed to reach those in need," Tedros said. The WHO chief, an ethnic Tigrayan who previously served as Ethiopia’s foreign minister and health minister, has faced accusations of political bias from Ethiopian authorities due to his criticism, which he has acknowledged but stated is made without bias.
The Ethiopian government is also contending with armed opposition in the Amhara and Oromia regions. The Fano, a network of ethnic Amhara militias, has been in conflict with federal forces in Amhara since 2023.
In separate incidents in Oromia, Ethiopia’s Orthodox Church reported that at least 60 Orthodox Christians were killed. U.S. Ambassador Ervin J. Massinga condemned the reported targeted killings in the region’s Arsi zone and called for an investigation.
Meanwhile, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced on social media that government leaders were undergoing military training, which he stated would enhance discipline, leadership, and readiness. Separately, the Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival, a coalition of seven opposition groups formed in September, announced plans to strengthen cooperation, coordinate campaigns, and expand diplomatic engagement, accusing the ruling Prosperity Party of fueling conflict, displacement, and poverty.