A report from the International Media Support Institute (IMS), an organization dedicated to evaluating journalist safety, revealed that 43 journalists were arrested and detained in Ethiopia throughout 2024.

The findings highlighted the challenges faced by journalists, including threats of intimidation, harassment, and imprisonment from both governmental and non-governmental actors. Conflict-prone regions such as Amhara, Oromia, and Benishangul Gumuz emerged as particularly dangerous for media professionals.

The report documented three cases of forced disappearances involving journalists in 2024. Two individuals remained missing at the time of publication, including a Benishangul Gumuz TV cameraman who was abducted by armed groups while traveling with his wife. Militants reportedly halted their public bus and took the journalist away.

Since 2023, the Amhara region has witnessed escalating risks amid ongoing military clashes between government forces and Fano militants. Journalists have been detained under accusations of “supporting illegal forces” or “spreading false information” about the Ethiopian Defense Forces.

The IMS recorded nine cases of arbitrary arrests during an extended state of emergency in the Amhara region. Journalists have been targeted by both militants and government authorities, intensifying their vulnerability.

One journalist shared their harrowing experience anonymously, stating, “My camera crew and I went to the Amhara region using an office vehicle. We were kidnapped and detained by armed groups for two weeks and suffered a lot,” a journalist, speaking anonymously, told IMS. “Our captors told us to go back to where we came from without returning our cameras and vehicle.” The journalist added that after being held by militants, they were handed over to government security personnel and detained in military camps.

By the end of 2024, no attackers involved in assaults on journalists had faced prosecution, the report concluded.