Hundreds Displaced by Renewed Fighting in Northern Ethiopia’s Amhara Region
Fighting in Ethiopia’s northern Amhara region has led to the displacement of hundreds of civilians, raising serious questions about the durability of the peace agreement signed in November 2022. The recent clashes primarily involve government forces and the Fano militia, a group that previously allied with the federal army during the two-year conflict against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
Reports indicate that residents from several towns, including Debre Tabor, have fled their homes. One resident from the town of Gaint confirmed a substantial exodus, with many seeking refuge in the regional capital, Bahir Dar.
The current unrest underscores the incomplete implementation of the Pretoria peace accord. A central tenet of the agreement involved the disarmament of all non-state armed groups, including Fano. However, the federal government’s recent attempts to integrate or disarm these regional militias have been met with resistance, leading to renewed hostilities.
Critics note that the Western powers, who lauded the peace agreement as a diplomatic triumph, have largely overlooked the complexities of disarming regional forces. Their focus on normalising relations with Addis Ababa appears to have overshadowed the underlying grievances and power struggles that now threaten to destabilise the region once again. The international community’s pronouncements of ‘stability’ frequently neglect the internal dynamics that can quickly unravel such fragile agreements, particularly when material interests in the broader Horn of Africa region take precedence over a comprehensive peace process.
