Tensions in Ethiopia’s Amhara Region
Nine months after the end of the two-year war in the Tigray region, Ethiopia is experiencing further conflict in the country’s northern Amhara region. Since the federal government announced the dismantling of regional forces across the East African state in April, Amhara nationalists began protesting as they believed that this would weaken their region, escalating tensions.
The Amhara residents have been living with the consequences of the two-year armed country in the neighboring Tigray region as well as managing an inflow of Amharas fleeing violence and targeted ethnic attacks in the Oromia region. The Amhara people are a Semitic-speaking ethnic group which is indigenous to Ethiopia and comprise around 30% of the country according to a census taken in 2007.
Ethiopian military and militias known as Fano have been fighting throughout the region with increased reports of civilian casualties. On August 4th, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government declared a six-month state of emergency in Amhara and also announced curfews in six cities. Fano is an informal militia that draws volunteers from the local population. Federal forces known as the Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) have battled the local Fano and although the latter is not as well-equipped or organised, analysts have said it could still be a serious threat to the government if its struggle gets widespread support.
The forces were formally allies during the Tigray war but their relationship deteriorated due to efforts by federal authorities to weaken regional parliamentary groups. In addition, the Tigray peace deal of November 2022 saw the resolution of the status of land claimed by Amhara and Tigray ‘in accordance with the constitution’ which has raised tensions.
The conflict has become Ethiopia’s most serious security crisis since the civil war in 2021 and has raised serious concerns about how Abiy’s government will handle this situation. The state of emergency has granted the government far-reaching powers to arrest criminal suspects without a court order and has banned public gatherings. Previous state of emergencies under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s administration have resulted in mass arrests, prolonged arbitrary detentions and unlawful restrictions on movement and communication.
These clashes have serious consequences for Ethiopia. As one of Africa’s largest economies and second most populous country, it carries huge weight in the continent’s geopolitics and problems within the country tend to affect its borders in the Horn of Africa region. The previous civil war saw tens of thousands flee to Eastern Sudan which has caused international organisations such as United Nations agencies to call for guarantees to enable aid to be delivered and avoid a major humanitarian crisis, although an airstrike killed 26 people in the region last week.
Human Rights Watch have stressed that Ethiopia’s regional and international partners must not ‘ease up their scrutiny and pressure,’ after expressing frustration with their silence. Although the United States has expressed concern about the new conflict and other nations have advised their citizens against traveling to Amhara, the human rights organisation has stated that they should forcefully urge the Ethiopian government to protect civilians in conflict-affected areas and respect basic human rights.
Image Credits: Ji Elle - Edited by GorStra Team