Attachments
In this update covering 26 April to 9 May 2025
- Health workers protests across Ethiopia demand better conditions
- Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition takes control of a small kebele in Gambela
- Abductions in Amhara and Oromia amid ongoing battles
Health workers protests across Ethiopia demand better conditions
Last week, ACLED records at least 25 reported protests by health workers in various locations across Ethiopia, including the capital city, Addis Ababa. Health workers protested in several health centers and hospitals, demanding salary increases and other benefits, including free health insurance for doctors. The demonstrations continued over the weekend and on 12 May. In addition to a salary increase, the protesters in the Tigray region demanded payment for 17 months of unpaid wages for the work they performed during the northern Ethiopia conflict from November 2020 to November 2022. Health workers, especially medical doctors, have been calling for salary increases for years. For example, on 9 March 2023, the Ethiopian Health Professionals Association submitted a letter asking the government for an increase in salary and other benefits.1 However, the rising cost of living across the country, particularly housing, food, and transportation, has catalyzed the call for a wage increase across various sectors.
Accordingly, around 8 April, the health workers began a campaign on social media. On 11 April, they submitted 12 demands to the government, giving it 30 days to address these issues.2 The 12 demands include a salary increase, on-time payment of overtime, free health insurance, a house or land, and free transportation. If the government does not respond to their request by 12 May, they warned that their next step would be a strike. Last week’s demonstrations served as a warning to the government to address their requests.
The Ministry of Health believes that the recently adopted Proclamation 1362/2017 addresses the long-term concerns of health workers’ demands.3 This position was restated on 12 May by the minister of health, who said that the government was ready to increase its health budget in the upcoming fiscal year, which starts in June, and discussed upcoming health reforms based on the new proclamation.4 The head of the Ministry of Public Relations and Health Communication admitted that the requests from health workers were valid, and that the ministry acknowledges and plans to address them through short-term, medium-term, and long-term plans. The head argued that the government had recently increased the wages of health care professionals and indicated that it was working with various regional and city administrations to provide the workers with land to build houses.5
Many health care professionals believe that the recent wage increase is not enough. Because the government did not respond to their requests one by one, according to the workers, they began one-week partial strikes on 13 May, providing care only in emergency and intensive care cases and to maternity patients and children.6 If the Ministry of Health fails to provide clear responses to each of their 12 requests by the end of the week, they have threatened a full strike.7
Various opposition politicians, such as Jawar Mohamed and Taye Dendea, have echoed health workers’ demands. However, the health care workers and their associations have requested that politicians refrain from joining their movement and from turning their demands into political campaigns.8
In the past, the government has not provided space for such coordinated movements and has tended to suppress them using methods such as intimidation and arrests. Since 7 May, the government has arrested at least 10 doctors in connection with this movement in Addis Ababa city and the South Ethiopia, Oromia, and Amhara regions. Among those arrested was the Ethiopian Health Professionals Association president, who was taken into custody on 11 May at his residence in the Amhara region.9 Most of these doctors were released by 13 May.