Amnesty International, a global independent human rights organization, called on the Ethiopian federal government to immediately suspend its wide-reaching Corridor Development Project (CDP), citing serious human rights concerns following mass forced evictions in Addis Ababa.
According to a newly released investigation by the human rights organization, at least 872 residents were forcibly evicted in November 2024 from the Bole and Lemi-Kura sub-cities, with no adequate consultation, notice, or compensation. Among those displaced were 47 homeowner households—including 114 children and 13 elderly individuals—as well as 618 tenants. These actions, Amnesty says, violate international human rights standards.
The CDP, an urban development initiative affecting at least 58 cities nationwide, has sparked growing fear among urban populations who are uncertain about their future. Amnesty warns that the scale of these evictions is unprecedented in Ethiopia and is calling for the project to be paused until a thorough human rights impact assessment is conducted, remedies are provided to victims, and strong legal safeguards are implemented.
RELATED POSTS
Between January 17 and February 10, 2025, Amnesty surveyed those affected through questionnaires and interviews with displaced residents and local leaders. Satellite imagery analyzed by its Crisis Evidence Lab further confirmed that at least 29 hectares of dense urban housing in Bole and Lemi Kura were razed during that time, and remained vacant through early February.
Amnesty estimates that the number of evicted individuals may be significantly higher than reported, citing evidence such as local lists identifying over 180 evicted homeowners and mass meetings involving thousands of residents who were informed about potential evictions.
Despite sharing its preliminary findings with the Ethiopian government on April 1, 2025, Amnesty reports it has received no official response.
