In the northern Amhara region, Ethiopian forces have reportedly killed over 300 Fano fighters, a group they were once allied with in the conflict against Tigray rebels. The military claims these fighters initiated attacks across various parts of Amhara before being neutralized.
According to a statement from the military on Friday, 317 Fano fighters were killed and another 125 wounded in the two-day engagements.
However, Abebe Fantahun, a spokesperson for Amhara Fano in Wollo Bete-Amhara, later on Friday contradicted the military’s casualty figures, claiming the army had not killed more than 30 of their combatants.
Yohannes Nigusu, the spokesperson for Fano in the Gondar region, provided higher numbers, stating that 602 federal army soldiers were killed and 430 injured, with Fano capturing 98 soldiers and seizing weapons.

The History of Their Alliance

The Fano fighters were once allied with the Ethiopian army and Eritrean forces during a two-year war against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. However, since a fallout between Eritrea and Ethiopia, which led to Eritrea’s exclusion from peace talks to end the war in November 2022, tensions have escalated.
Conflicts between the army and Fano fighters erupted in July 2023, stemming from the Amhara’s dissatisfaction with the 2022 peace agreement’s terms.
Last year, disagreements within the TPLF led to a split into factions, with both claiming control of the party. The army’s statement accused Brigadier General Migbey Haile, aligned with Debretsion Gebremichael’s faction, of backing Fano’s attacks in Amhara, claims Haile denies.

An Army Under Scrutiny

Recent developments, including Eritrea’s reported nationwide military mobilisation and Ethiopia deploying troops to their border, have raised fears of a new conflict. Meanwhile, the Ethiopian military faces accusations of human rights abuses and war crimes against the Fano fighters from Human Rights Watch.
Last year, Human Rights Watch reported that dozens of civilians were executed in the town of Merawi, in northwestern Amhara, highlighting concerns about the military’s actions.
Laetitia Bader, the deputy Africa director at Human Rights Watch, suggests that the Ethiopian armed forces’ killings in Amhara contradict the government’s claims of ushering peace and order, as civilians continue to suffer from the army’s impunity.