COMMENTARY | The government has funds for drones and security forces — but not for rebuilding homes or reuniting families.

By Muluken Tekleyohanes, Editor-in-Chief, Ambassador Media

In a nation repeatedly torn by violence and political divisions, one truth becomes impossible to ignore: Ethiopia’s central government continues to choose force over peace — and its citizens are paying the price.

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Displaced, Returned, and Killed Again — The Tragedy of Amhara Civilians

In recent months, thousands of ethnic Amhara people displaced from the Oromia region have faced unbearable choices: return to unsafe areas or remain in limbo without aid or protection. The federal government, while claiming “peaceful reintegration,” has pressured communities to return to dangerous zones without meaningful security guarantees.

Many returned under duress. Some were killed shortly after. Others disappeared. Where is the peace in forced return under threat of violence? Where is accountability for the lives lost?

This is not reconciliation. It is a cycle of abandonment.

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Tigray’s Forgotten Civilians: Five Years in Camps

In Northern Ethiopia, thousands of civilians from Tigray remain in displacement camps — five years and counting. No lasting solution, no safe return, no justice.

The federal government blames TPLF.

The TPLF blames the federal government.

Caught in between are innocent civilians, children growing up without homes, families torn apart, and a generation raised in hopelessness.

The government has funds for drones and security forces — but not for rebuilding homes or reuniting families.

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Crisis in the South: Gurage Region on Edge

In the Southern region, particularly in the Gurage Zone, similar patterns are emerging: tensions over autonomy, protests suppressed, and communities silenced. People demanding peaceful solutions face heavy-handed responses. Local identity struggles are ignored or politicized, and the federal government once again defaults to control over compassion.

Peace is not the absence of bullets — it is the presence of justice.

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The Pattern Is Clear

Across Ethiopia, the same pattern repeats:

Displaced people returned to danger.

Regional grievances ignored.

Conflict recycled without resolution.

Force used to impose order, instead of dialogue to build trust.

This is not national unity. This is national neglect.

A government that claims to build a new Ethiopia must do more than hold meetings and issue statements. It must put people before power, and solutions before suppression.

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Ethiopia Deserves Better

The suffering of ordinary Ethiopians is not a political inconvenience — it is a moral failure. Until the federal government acts decisively to prioritize peacebuilding, inclusive governance, and long-term resettlement plans, Ethiopia will remain trapped in cycles of violence and blame.

We demand:

Immediate protection for returnees in Oromia and Amhara

Transparent support and reintegration plans for Tigray’s displaced families

Peaceful, constitutional dialogue in Gurage and other southern zones

An end to military-first solutions to civilian demands

Power must not come at the cost of people’s lives. And peace cannot be manufactured with silence and fear — it must be built with justice and action.

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Ambassador Media stands with the displaced, the forgotten, and the unheard — in every region, from every community.

— Muluken Tekleyohanes
Editor-in-Chief & General Manager, Ambassador Media