Thousands of women and girls, some as young as eight years old, have suffered brutal sexual assaults by Ethiopian soldiers during the military's ongoing crackdown against local militias, according to devastating new victim testimony.
Survivors Share Harrowing Accounts
A recent BBC investigation has uncovered shocking details of systematic sexual violence perpetrated by members of the Ethiopian army against civilians in the Amhara region. One 21-year-old victim, Enat, described how soldiers entered her home in South Gondar and subjected her family to forceful interrogation about Fano militia fighters.
After admitting militia members had visited their home, Enat was violently raped in front of her eight-year-old niece. The young woman, who identified as a virgin and planned to remain celibate until marriage according to her Orthodox Christian beliefs, told reporters: 'It would have been better if they had killed me.'
Another victim, 18-year-old Tigist from Amhara, reported being groped in January 2024 by a soldier who regularly visited her family's teahouse. Hours after the initial assault, she claims three soldiers including the same man approached her in the street and gang-raped her on the pavement.
Widespread Pattern of Abuse
The sexual violence in Amhara region represents a disturbing pattern of human rights abuses, though many cases remain undocumented due to fear and stigma. According to data collected by the BBC, there were 2,697 official reports of rape between July 2023 and May 2025, with children accounting for 45 percent of these cases.
Experts believe the actual number of sexual assaults is significantly higher, as many victims never report the crimes or seek medical treatment. One 23-year-old woman named Lemlem explained she never reported her rape by a soldier in January this year, detailing how the man threatened to shoot her if she screamed during the assault.
'I wept non-stop for a whole month. I couldn't eat. All I did was cry. I couldn't stand to walk. And I fell gravely ill,' Lemlem shared, adding that the trauma has driven her away from her church community due to stigma surrounding sexual assault.
Lasting Trauma and International Condemnation
The psychological and physical consequences for survivors have been devastating. Tigist described how her family found her unconscious on the roadside after her assault, requiring five days of bed rest in a clinic. Nearly two years after the attack, she remains unable to leave her house due to overwhelming fear.
'My fear keeps me from going to work... Whenever I see soldiers or any men I panic and hide myself away,' Tigist revealed. The profound trauma led her to call off her engagement and attempt to take her own life.
Human rights organizations including Amnesty International have condemned the Ethiopian army's actions and called on the government to take immediate steps to protect women and girls from further violence. The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights confirmed last year that the Ethiopian National Defence Force had perpetrated sexual violence, including against minors, during the conflict with Fano militia.
The current conflict erupted when the Ethiopian government attempted to disband regional military groups that had fought during the 2020-2022 civil war in Tigray. Fano militias viewed this move as a betrayal and launched a rebellion, prompting a violent crackdown by the national army. Both sides have been accused of numerous human rights violations throughout the ongoing conflict.
