What a massacre reveals about Abiy Ahmed’s Ethiopia
The killing of civilians is part of a disturbing pattern
Two months ago, in the early afternoon of March 31st, gunfire erupted in Birakat, a town in the Amhara region of northern Ethiopia (see map). Panicked residents ran for cover as the Ethiopian army battled local militias. Five hours later the guns fell silent, briefly. But after the army had taken control of the town, according to three eyewitnesses, a massacre began.
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This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Murder in Birakat”
From the May 31st 2025 edition
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