Warning: Mention of sexual violence. Names of victims have been changed and identifying details omitted to protect their privacy and safety.
Sexual violence in Ethiopia is largely undocumented, Enat, who is from the Amhara ethnic group, the second largest in Ethiopia, is among thousands of women believed to have been sexually assaulted and raped since the conflict between the Ethiopian army and Fano started in August 2023.
While restrictions have prevented independent media from entering Amhara to cover the conflict, the BBC has collated data which shows there have been thousands of reports of rape between July 2023 and May 2025, with victims as young as eight and as old as 65. The BBC team in Nairobi, in neighbouring Kenya, managed to speak to women and doctors in the region, offering a rare insight into the human impact of the crisis.
The conflict began when the government attempted to disband regional military groups, including those in Amhara, which had fought with the army during the 2020-2022 civil war in the next-door region of Tigray.
Fano militias felt betrayed by the move and believed it would leave them vulnerable to attack from Tigray and elsewhere, especially as violence against the Amhara community had intensified, according to rights groups.
In response, Fano launched a rebellion, seizing major towns. They claim to be fighting for regional autonomy and protecting their communities from marginalisation by the Ethiopian government.
The insurgency has resulted in a violent crackdown by the army, which calls Fano “radical ethno-nationalists”.
Since the conflict started, both sides have been accused of numerous human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions, forced displacement, destruction of property, looting and widespread cases of sexual violence, including rape.
Rights groups, including Amnesty International, say there is evidence the army is disproportionately responsible for the abuses. They also say that Amhara people in other parts of Ethiopia have been deliberately targeted by the security forces and other armed groups.
Amhara people, who are predominantly Orthodox Christian, require couples to remain “pure” and not have any sexual contact until marriage.
“Before that day, I had never known a man,” Enat says.”It would have been better if they had killed me.”
The BBC collected data from 43 health facilities in Amhara – roughly 4% of all health facilities in the region – and other medical sources to get a snapshot of what has been happening.
At these facilities, there were 2,697 reports of rape between 18 July 2023 and May 2025. Children under 18 accounted for 45% of cases.
Just over half of the victims tested positive for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), while many were also left pregnant and with severe psychological trauma.
However, many victims of sexual violence never report the crime or seek treatment, fearful of stigma or of learning they may have contracted an STI or become pregnant. For this reason, a senior health expert, who spoke to the BBC on condition of anonymity due to security concerns, says the victims who come to facilities in the Amhara region are only “the tip of the iceberg”.
Lemlem is among those who have never reported their rape or sought medical treatment, terrified of learning that she might have a sexually transmitted infection, such as HIV.
The 23-year-old from South Gondar says government soldiers entered her house on 6 January to ask for information, a routine army practice. She says when she didn’t give them what they wanted, one of the soldiers raped her.
“He threatened me, saying: ‘If you scream, one bullet is enough for you,'” Lemlem says.
She says the assault has driven her away from church, where she fears she may be the subject of gossip.
“It’s repulsive to have been born a woman. If I were a man, they might have beaten me and walked away – they wouldn’t have destroyed my life like this,” says Lemlem, explaining how the trauma of the attack has made her feel about being female.
Medics the BBC spoke to say there has been a sharp rise in the number of victims of sexual violence that they have been treating since the conflict began.
“They arrive trembling, too intimidated even to speak,” one medic says.
Yet those who do come forward are reluctant to name their attackers and rarely seek justice, in part because the conflict has led to a breakdown in law and order. Instead, most who do seek medical assistance come out of fear of pregnancy.
Others seek treatment long after they have been attacked, by which point certain medications for the STIs they have contracted, such as HIV, are no longer effective. Another medic notes that many victims say they are unable to access treatment promptly due to transport disruption and road blockages caused by the conflict.
Based on information health centres have gathered, they say that they “have identified signs that HIV infections may rise and that mental health and psychological problems could reach catastrophic levels”, noting that some victims have attempted suicide.
Figures from Ethiopia’s health ministry in 2022 showed that the HIV rate in the region was around 1.1 per 100 people – higher than the national average.
While assaults have been carried out by both sides in the conflict, medical staff report seeing more cases involving Ethiopian army soldiers than Fano militia. A government employee with access to relevant information, who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity, also said this was the case.
Most incidents of rape were reported in urban areas where the army maintains bases and exerts control, however experts point out that people living in cities have better access to treatment so are more likely to get help and report attacks.
The BBC was unable to interview any victims of assaults by Fano fighters due to limited access to places where the militia are based.
Source: BBC
