In October 2022, the United States government announced an eighteen-month extension of time for Ethiopians who came to the country for different reasons. It was extended because of the security situation in Ethiopia at the time.

This week, the U.S. government announced that the permit would be extended for another eighteen months.

“Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas today announced the extension and redesignation of Ethiopia for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months, from June 13, 2024, to December 12, 2025, due to ongoing armed conflict and extraordinary and temporary conditions in Ethiopia that prevent individuals from safely returning,” reads part of  the Press Release  from the Department of Homeland Security which was published on April 12, 2024.

The ongoing military conflict in the Amhara and Oromia regions was one of the factors that impacted the decision from Homeland Security.

The Amhara region of Ethiopia has been under a State of Emergency since August 2023 with restrictions in place for journalists and human rights advocates to travel to the region. The Internet has been shut down since then.

However, Human Rights Organizations – both in the country and abroad – managed to release reports on the state of human rights in the Amhara region since the introduction of the state of emergency. Hundreds and thousands of civilians have been killed in extrajudicial killing by government troops and by drone attacks – among other ways.