Reports from Ethiopia show that the lives of children and women in the country’s Amhara region are at risk following a renewal of violence.

Development Diaries reports that the regional state is under a state of emergency approved by the Council of Ministers which suspends civilian administration.

The region has faced an alarming escalation of conflict nine months after a truce agreement ended two years of violence.

Media reports indicate continued military hostilities between the government forces and the non-state militia group Fano.

Meanwhile, the rights of individuals have become a concern following the declaration of the state of emergency that saw military command posts authorised to take several measures and prohibitions in the six-month period it is expected to last.

‘The wounds from the recent war remain raw, and yet again, children’s lives hang in the balance’, Save the Children’s Country Director for Ethiopia, Xavier Joubert, said in a statement.

‘As a humanitarian organisation we call upon warring parties to prioritize the safety of civilians and allow humanitarian aid to reach those in need including 580,000 people in the region already displaced by previous conflict.

‘We must shield vulnerable children from violence, displacement, hunger, and abuse and it is imperative that vulnerable families are granted safety and unimpeded access to essential humanitarian aid’.

Development Diaries demands that all parties to the conflict respect international humanitarian laws and ensure civilians are unharmed.

We also demand that access to humanitarian aid be sustained in the Amhara region.

Photo source: HRW