Bahir Dar, (SONNA):- The town of Bahir Dar, the capital of the Amhara region in Ethiopia, has been the scene of intense fighting for the fourth consecutive day, between the government forces loyal to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the Fano rebels, who enjoy the support of the local population.
The Fano rebels, who are part of the Amhara resistance movement, have been challenging the central government’s authority and policies, which they accuse of marginalizing and oppressing the Amhara people, the second largest ethnic group in Ethiopia.
The spokesman of the Fano Front, Mareshet Tsehayu, who is based in the Gojjam region in northern Ethiopia, said that the government forces have been losing ground and manpower in the face of the rebel attacks.
“Every day the army of the regime is reducing the number of people who are fighting with us from 400 to 150 soldiers, because the soldiers are being killed or defecting to our side”, said Mr. Tsehayu.
Meanwhile, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, released a nine-page report documenting the human rights violations and atrocities committed in the Gambella region, where another ethnic conflict has been raging since May 2023.
The report said that 138 people were killed and 113 others were injured in various incidents of violence, including massacres, ambushes, raids and revenge attacks, involving different ethnic groups in the region.
The report also called for an urgent intervention by the federal government and the regional authorities to restore law and order and protect the civilians in the region.
Ethiopia, a country of more than 110 million people, has been experiencing a wave of ethnic and political unrest in recent years, threatening its stability and unity.
