A recent report by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has drawn sharp attention to the country’s fragile civil liberties and deepening security challenges ahead of the seventh general elections.
The Commission’s October 2025 report on freedom of movement published under the title ‘Urgent Actions Required to Ensure Full Exercise of Freedom of Movement’ documents a nationwide pattern of human rights violations — from arbitrary restrictions and road blockades to targeted violence by both state and non-state actors.
The report, released just months before the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) is expected to open voter registration, warns that continued restrictions on civilian mobility directly undermines people’s rights to freedom, protection, and property.
Political figures who spoke with The Reporter on the other hand state that failure to protect the right to free movement extends well beyond its territory and directly impacts their rights to political participation and raises questions about the credibility of the upcoming polls.
The EHRC statement, spanning multiple regions including Amhara, Oromia, Benishangul-Gumuz, and Gambella, documents severe impediments to free movement that “threaten citizens’ constitutional rights to security, livelihoods, and participation in national life”.
The findings included in the statement highlight widespread attacks and kidnapping of civilians, unlawful road closures and checkpoint controls, and curfews.
Among the most notable incidents verified by the Commission occurred in the Amhara region’s Central Gondar Zone. On July 19, 2025, in Chilga Woreda, armed Qemant groups reportedly intercepted a convoy of vehicles traveling with a government security escort. The assailants targeted the vehicles positioned at the rear of the convoy, stopping those en route from Gondar City toward Genda Wuha. According to the EHRC report, the attackers halted several cars near Wali Daba Kebele and abducted ten individuals — five drivers and five passengers. All abducted persons were later released following mediation efforts by local elders.
In Oromia, the Commission noted repeated attacks on civilians traveling along major routes. On June 4, 2025, in Arsi Zone, a passenger bus was ambushed by armed groups believed to be linked to the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), leaving four civilians dead and one severely injured.
Through its on-site monitoring and investigation missions — particularly in the Amhara, Benishangul-Gumuz, Gambella, and Oromia regions — the Commission has observed that the imposition of frequent and prolonged curfews, the presence of multiple armed actors, and the establishment of numerous checkpoints by both government security forces and non-state armed groups have severely restricted civilians’ freedom of movement.
These restrictions, coupled with recurring road closures, ambushes, property destruction, and displacement caused by clashes and security operations, have placed the right to free movement and personal security under significant threat.
The EHRC has also documented the continued disruption of civilian movement and transport networks in several parts of the Amhara region. It stated that the road linking Mekane Selam in South Wollo Zone with Merto Le-Mariam town in East Gojjam Zone has remained closed since March 2025, following government security orders related to ongoing instability.
Similarly, the Adet–Mota–Bichena route has been shut down since early July, with restrictions still in place at the time the report was published. These closures, EHRC said, have severely constrained the daily activities and mobility of residents.
The report further noted that between August 7 and 11, the Bahir Dar–Debre Markos highway was also blocked by armed local groups commonly referred to as Fano. The Commission reports that the disruption paralyzed transport and commerce in the area, effectively cutting off movement between the two major urban centers. It described how ordinary people faced travel interruptions and shortages of essential goods as a result of the road closures.
In its findings from Benishangul-Gumuz, the Commission reported that government security forces had detained individuals traveling from the Amhara region for work in and around Assosa town.
According to the report, ethnic Amhara travelers were stopped at checkpoints, while some were taken to local police stations, and others were reportedly ordered to return to their places of origin.
The Commission argues these actions violated freedom of movement and equal treatment provisions, though local officials defended them as temporary security measures to prevent “illegal land encroachments” and to limit infiltration by armed groups associated with Fano but contend that these mechanisms are no longer being utilized.
The report also detailed a violent confrontation in Metemma Woreda of West Gondar Zone, where government security forces clashed with an armed Qemant group at a checkpoint in Meqa Kebele on June 23. The Commission reported that the fighting began after the armed group stopped vehicles carrying fuel, goods, and passengers in an attempt to collect tolls.
The ensuing clash resulted in several deaths among drivers and passengers, and at least three people were injured.
The Commission’s call is unequivocal: the government must “ensure full accountability for human rights violations and provide justice to victims.” The statement emphasizes that despite repeated commitments to peace and reform, regional and federal security institutions have failed to prevent or respond to abuses, allowing impunity to take root.
EHRC urged authorities at all levels — from federal to woreda administrations — to verify and halt unlawful detentions, checkpoints, and collective punishments.
“Authorities must ensure that movement restrictions are strictly necessary, proportionate, and time-bound,” the Commission warned, adding that many such measures have instead become tools of control that “intensify political tensions.”
The report cited an incident that took place in the Oromia Special Zone within the Amhara region, where a supposedly temporary curfew was imposed following the murder of an individual by unknown actors. Authorities in the area have prohibited the movement of people and vehicles after 4:00 PM, and the curfew has yet to be lifted.
The EHRC confirmed that the restrictions “negatively affected pregnant women, patients, and daily laborers,” causing what it described as “an unacceptable humanitarian and social impact.”
Observers note that the EHRC’s findings arrive at a politically sensitive moment. Ethiopia is expected to hold general elections in mid-2026 — the first since the end of the northern conflict and the reorganization of the Tigray regional interim administration (TIA).
Analysts warn that the patterns of movement restriction, arbitrary arrests, and ongoing insecurity could make free campaigning and voter registration nearly impossible in several regions.
“Freedom of movement is a prerequisite for any credible election,” said a political analyst who spoke to The Reporter anonymously. “If citizens cannot travel safely to polling stations or if political candidates cannot reach communities, then the integrity of the vote is compromised from the start.”
For opposition political voices, the EHRC’s documentation of arbitrary checkpoints, curfews, and militarization of civilian zones echoes past election-year crackdowns. The Commission explicitly calls for “urgent corrective measures” to restore mobility, warning that excessive restrictions “disproportionately affect civic and political rights.”
The NEBE, meanwhile, has yet to release a detailed security assessment ahead of voter registration, and opposition political figures who spoke to The Reporter observe that coordination with regional administrations remains one of the election’s biggest logistical hurdles.
Opposition parties across the country share a deep sense of uncertainty over whether the next elections can be held under current conditions.
Mulatu Gemechu, deputy chairman of the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC), told The Reporter that the atmosphere remains far from conducive for democratic participation.
“We have said this many times before — the issue of elections is still uncertain,” Mulatu said. “There is a security problem; there is no peace. That is why, for now, we have not made a decision on whether to participate in the coming election or not.”
He added that freedom of movement — a key element of any credible campaign — has effectively collapsed.
“Right now, freedom of movement is restricted — not only for individuals to travel freely or campaign, but even the government cannot access certain areas where various armed groups are active and people are being detained,” he noted. “In such conditions, how can the voices of the people be heard properly?”
According to Mulatu, the continuation of armed conflict in multiple regions makes any notion of a national election “impractical and unjust.”
“Elections cannot take place in a situation of war. Lives are being lost, property destroyed — that is not right,” he said. “What should be done, therefore, is for both the government and the opposition to work toward peace and discuss what can bring lasting stability to this country.”
The OFC, he explained, has been unable to reopen its offices or conduct basic political training because of the restrictions.
“Our members are required to train and prepare — to educate the public about our political program, our policies, especially our political, economic, and social policies. People must know how we differ from the ruling party — what our alternative is. That requires an office, organization, and the ability to gather people in public spaces. None of that is currently possible,” said Mulatu.
In the north, similar frustrations are echoed by Salsay Woyane Tigray (SaWeT), an opposition political party that operates in Tigray Regional State.
Berhane Atsbeha, head of communications for the party, told The Reporter that mobility across and within Tigray remains perilous, raising serious doubts about the feasibility of fair elections.
“You see, entering or leaving Tigray by car is still very difficult — there are risks in every direction,” Berhane said. “Even to move around or to campaign freely, there are many restrictions. Crimes are being committed; what we are witnessing are continuous violations of human rights. So, if these issues are not addressed in time, how can an election be held under such circumstances? That’s what this whole issue essentially points to.”
He added that within the region itself, communities remain physically isolated.
“For example, one cannot travel from the northwest to western Tigray. Within Tigray, movement from one district to another — say, from Endabaguna to May Tsebri — is impossible,” said Berhane.
He also stressed that the situation in the neighboring Afar and Amhara regions also remains unstable.
“Armed groups in the Amhara region, for instance, are still in conflict with the federal army, and that has its own implications. In this context, there is no free ground — soldiers are still stationed across Tigray, making freedom of movement, the right to work, and even the right to live safely uncertain. People’s very existence is at risk,” Berhane told The Reporter.
He noted that federal and Eritrean forces continue to control parts of Tigray, restricting civilians’ access to their land and livelihoods.
“Inside Tigray too, political activity is limited. The federal government and even the Eritrean forces, who continue to occupy parts of Tigray’s territory, make it impossible for people to move or work freely,” said Berhane.
He brought up the Irob community as an example.
“The Irob community — which lives not far from Adigrat — has not yet returned home. People can’t even enter Irob. Adigrat, one of the main zonal towns, is itself heavily restricted,” said Berhane. “So, under such conditions, when people are deprived of their natural and constitutional rights — freedom of movement, the right to work, and property ownership — how can we talk about fair elections? To claim that the country is stable or that it is ready for peaceful elections is unrealistic.”
Berhane and his party believe the Commission’s findings should be “taken seriously and strengthened,” arguing that the government’s reports of stability “do not reflect the lived reality on the ground.”
“Unless the government intends to repeat what happened in the sixth national election — when it ran alone and declared itself the winner — it is difficult to imagine how a genuine, credible election can be held. We want that to be strengthened and to create conditions where people can truly move, work, and vote freely,” said Berhane.
The EHRC report portrays a nation fragmented by mistrust and competing interests, often manifesting in violence.
In the Amhara region, Fano militias continue to exert de facto control over several areas, imposing illegal levies and disrupting transport. In Oromia Regional State, OLA insurgencies have created no-go zones where administrative control has collapsed.
These divisions have intensified ethnic profiling, with reports of passengers being targeted at checkpoints based on identity.
“The right to move freely within one’s country is foundational,” the report stresses.
Politicians have expressed their fear that continued insecurity will discourage voter turnout and deepen public cynicism about whether elections can produce change.
Beyond political implications, the report paints a disturbing picture of everyday life disrupted by insecurity. Farmers unable to transport goods, patients stranded en route to hospitals, and teachers prevented from reaching schools — all represent a silent erosion of normalcy.
The EHRC statement linked these violations to worsening economic conditions, warning that disrupted mobility exacerbates food insecurity, displacement, and unemployment, all of which may negatively impact people’s daily livelihood.
In its final recommendations, the EHRC urged federal and regional authorities to lift unlawful movement restrictions and curfews, investigate and prosecute those responsible for rights violations, guarantee unimpeded access for humanitarian actors, strengthen oversight of local security forces and reaffirm Ethiopia’s commitment to constitutional freedoms.
“Prompt and coordinated action is essential to prohibit the occurrences of rights violations and ensure justice for victims,” the Commission concluded.
Experts and political figures agree that with less than a year before Ethiopia heads to the polls, the EHRC findings underscore a nation still struggling to reconcile its democratic aspirations with the realities of insecurity and division.
If unaddressed, the restrictions documented in the report risk reducing the 2026 elections to a symbolic event, devoid of genuine competition or participation, warn political figures who spoke to The Reporter.
But if the government acts decisively and moves to restore mobility, protect civilians, and ensure accountability, it could mark a turning point toward credible governance.
“The right to move freely is inseparable from the right to vote freely,” Berhane said.
Whether Ethiopia’s leaders heed that warning may determine not just the legitimacy of the next election, but the direction of the nation’s fragile democracy itself.
