The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission has called on the government to end the rising trend of enforced disappearances. 

Imad Abdulfetah, the commission’s regional director, who made the call, attributed the disappearances to the war in the northern Tigray region, which ended last year following an African Union-brokered peace deal and ethnic conflicts. 

“Primarily, these became more common in the aftermath of the conflicts in the country,” Mr Abdulfetah explained. “These incidents are connected to the conflict in one way or the other. So, this one year or a half — at most not more than two years — since this became widespread.”

On June 5, the commission released a report stating that the enforced disappearances have happened across Amhara and Oromia regions, including the capital, Addis Ababa.

In the report, the commission stated that at least 12 people were arrested or abducted under unclear circumstances.

It stated that the victims of enforced disappearances included Ethiopian National Defence Force and opposition political parties’ members.

But the Ethiopian government has not responded to the commission’s allegations. 

Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC), an opposition party in Ethiopia, confirmed that four of its members have gone missing over the past few years.

Also, Tiruneh Gamta, the OFC’s secretary general, said the party had confirmed the death of Melesse Chala, a local-level party official who was missing for more than two years.

Victims of enforced disappearances sometimes show up weeks or months later, still alive, but in locations far from where they were last seen. They, however, are often in poor physical condition. 

The government-established commission said it was investigating allegations that some victims were tortured and called on the Ethiopian government to adopt and ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance to ensure the protection of civilians.