The Amhara Fano Force carried out an attack targeting government security forces in Addis Ababa. Sources from Addis Ababa stated that the Fano forces involved in the incident are suspected to be related to the wider Amhara Fano forces. This particular group has been in conflict with the government led by Abiy Ahmed, who they claim has committed genocide against the Amhara.
Three people died in a clash between Fano militias and policemen in the capital of Ethiopia. This event is a rare event where several regional conflicts in the country have entered the city. The clash took place in the Millennium Hall area of downtown Addis Ababa when law enforcers tried to arrest three individuals linked to a militia group called Fano. According to the official police report, these individuals were planning to carry out a terrorist attack.
An unusual incident occurred on Friday in Ethiopia’s capital when Fano militias clashed with police officers. Three people lost their lives in this tragedy. This event serves as a reminder of how the country’s regional insurgencies have begun to affect the city. The clash occurred near the Millennium Hall in the center of Addis Ababa when the police were trying to arrest three individuals who were linked to the Fano militia. According to the police, these individuals were said to be planning to carry out a terrorist attack.
According to the police statement, the Fano fighters were asked to surrender but refused. Ethiopia’s security forces have been involved in a major conflict with the Fano ethnic group since August. The rebellion was sparked by a controversial proposal to merge the regional forces with the national military, resulting in widespread lawlessness in Amhara, the country’s second largest region.
Human rights organizations have reported that Fano militants massacred civilians, especially on January 29, in a clash with Fano militants in Amara Marawi city.
An Amnesty International report published on Friday put the death toll in Marawi at over 50. The organization said federal troops rounded up people from their homes, businesses and public places and shot and killed many individuals. Addis Ababa has remained untouched by the regional uprisings in Ethiopia. In addition to the violence in the Amhara region, the federal government is also fighting the largest ethnic insurgency in the Oromia region.
The Fanos and other Ammars were devastated by the November 2022 peace deal between the government and Tigray militants. This agreement came as a shock to the Amhara nationalists, who have long been enemies of the Tigray fighters. Amhara nationalists asserted their ancestral rights in certain areas in the northern tip of Ethiopia. The Fanos supported the federal government during the Tigray conflict, but even within the war there were tensions. The Tigray militants managed to get 185 kilometers (115 miles) away from the capital and eventually withdrew.
The conflict in Addis Ababa happened yesterday evening after the popular opposition leader Bate Urgesa was killed in Meki city of Oromia. The United States, Britain and various other countries have called for a thorough investigation into his death.
