URGENT ACTION

END MASS FORCED EVICTIONS IN ETHIOPIA
Thousands of people in Ethiopia have been forcibly evicted from their homes for the Corridor Development Project (CDP) in the capital, Addis Ababa, and in 58 cities and urban centres across the country. Forced evictions are a gross human rights violation yet residents have been forcibly evicted without genuine consultations, sufficient notice, or any form of compensation- all necessary protections under international human rights law. The Ethiopian authorities must immediately stop forced evictions and suspend the CDP and conduct an independent review of the governments compliance with international human rights standards including standards on the right to adequate housing.

TAKE ACTION: WRITE AN APPEAL IN YOUR OWN WORDS OR USE THIS MODEL LETTER

Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
Abiy Ahmed Ali
Email: info@pmo.gov.et
Fax: +251 111 226 292
X: @PMEthiopia

Dear Prime Minister,

I am deeply concerned about the ongoing forced evictions in Addis Ababa and the other cities and urban areas since November 2024 and urge you to stop the forced evictions with immediate effect. I also urge you to halt the Corridor Development Project until a human rights impact assessment of the project is conducted and human rights safeguards are put in place to prevent further rights violations.

Amnesty International’s investigation and analysis of satellite imagery between early November 2024 and early February 2025 confirmed that at least 29 hectares of densely built-up areas in Bole and Lemi Kura underwent structural clearing during this period. An estimated 872 individuals were forcibly evicted from Bole and Lemi Kura sub-cities in November 2024 by the Addis Ababa City Administration. These evictions have been happening in Addis Ababa and 58 other cities and urban centres across Ethiopia. Individuals have been removed from their homes without adequate consultations, sufficient notice and none of the individuals impacted reported receiving any compensation.

Forced evictions violate Ethiopia’s obligations under international human rights law. However, the authorities have failed to put in place essential safeguards, such as meaningful consultation with affected communities, adequate notice, access to legal remedies, and provision of alternative housing, in the context of the ongoing evictions. As a result, many families, including groups of people vulnerable to discrimination and marginalisation such as children, older people, and people with disabilities, have been left homeless, in severe hardship and at risk of further human rights violations.

In light of the above, I call on you to use your authority to immediately stop the forced evictions and suspend the “Corridor Development Project” until a thorough, independent human rights assessment is conducted and safeguards are put in place to prevent further rights violations. I further urge you to adopt a moratorium on mass evictions until adequate safeguards are put in place to ensure that all evictions comply with international human rights standards.

Yours sincerely,

Additional information
The forced evictions in Addis Ababa started after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched the “Corridor Development Project” in December 2022, which includes a grand palace. The project's first phase that started on 29 December 2022 led to the destruction of heritage sites. The project's second phase, covering an area of 2,000 hectares in Addis Ababa, was announced in October 2024, triggering large scale forced evictions. It has been reported that 58 cities and urban centres in Ethiopia are also implementing their own corridor development projects, but the number is most likely to be higher. While, these projects are promoted as urban modernization efforts, they come at a significant socio-economic and human rights cost, which authorities have systematically silenced.
Amnesty International has not been able to fully determine the total number of people evicted in Bole and Lemi Kura sub-cities as part of the forced evictions that occurred in November 2024, but it is likely that the number of forcibly evicted individuals is much is higher than our findings.

PREFERRED LANGUAGE TO ADDRESS TARGET: English and Amharic
You can also write in your own language.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: 7 November 2025 
Please check with the Amnesty office in your country if you wish to send appeals after the deadline.

NAME AND PRONOUN: Thousands of Ethiopian residents (all)

Additional TARGETS

His Excellency Mr Biruk Mekonnen Demissie
Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary 
Embassy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
17 Princes Gate, London, SW7 1PZ
Phone: 020 7589 7212
Fax: 020 7584 7054
Email: info@ethioembassy.org.uk 
Web: www.ethioembassy.org.uk 
Hours: Monday-Friday 09.00 to 17.00
Salutation: Your Excellency