A group in Ethiopia that is against the government says that government forces have killed many innocent people in a troubled region called Amhara. The region has been seeing ongoing fighting between local militias and the army.
The Enat party said that government troops killed 29 regular people, like kids and old people, near their houses in a little town called Majete.
The party said that drone attacks in two different places in the region caused the deaths of at least 20 innocent people.
The BBC cannot verify the claims on its own, and the government has not replied to the accusations.
There was a lot of fighting in Amhara after many people got angry over a decision to get rid of a regional military group. Some people thought this would make the region easier to attack.
In the beginning of August, groups of local fighters went into many big cities in the area and took over an airport for a short time.
Fighting in the city caused many people to die, and a lot of prisoners were able to escape.
Cities seem to have returned to a somewhat normal state after the government troops forced the militias to leave.
Last week, the leader of the army, Field Martial Berhanu Jula, said that the armed groups in the area were not dangerous anymore. However, there are still ongoing fights happening this week in a few small towns and villages.
The ongoing internet shutdown has made it hard to find out how severe the fighting is.
Tag: Amhara
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Ethiopian government soldiers said to have being killing civilians
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Amhara state of Ethiopia still experiencing fierce warfare
Residents of the two largest cities in the Amhara region of Ethiopia—the state capital Bahir Dar and the famed Gondar—have said that, fierce fighting between local militias and government forces has resumed on Tuesday and that the violence is showing no signs of stopping.
Residents report that heavy armament has been fired during the clashes, creating worries for the safety of citizens. Residents in Bahir Dar reported that the state-run radio station has ceased broadcasting.
In addition, fighting has persisted in Debrebirhan, an industrial city 130 km (80 miles) north of Addis Abeba, where locals have reported seeing hovering drones.
Although activists associated with the militias assert that they are in control of several small towns and villages.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom, the Ethiopian leader of the World Health Organisation (WHO), has voiced worries about the violence that is still occurring.
Dr. Tedros posted on his social media pages that communication was difficult because of the internet outage and that access to humanitarian aid was difficult because of the blocked roads.
A journalist was recently detained in Addis Ababa, where arrests have reportedly continued to occur. The founder of Alpha Media, Bekal Alamirew, was also detained during the Tigray war last year.
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Ethiopia declares state of emergency in Amhara
Ethiopia’s cabinet has reached a consensus to declare a state of emergency in Amhara after days of clashes between local militias and the army in the restive area.
This decision comes shortly after Yilkal Kefale, the head of the Amhara region, urged the federal government to step in, citing the challenge of maintaining security through regular law enforcement methods.
Local militias, known as the Fano, reportedly have gained control over various towns, villages, and even some larger cities within the region.
Flights have been halted to at least two cities in the affected area, and mobile data services have been suspended.
The prime minister’s office released a statement stating that the region’s constitutional order was at risk, justifying the need for the declaration of a state of emergency.
However, the decision is pending approval by the parliament in order to become effective.
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Alleged deaths reported in Ethiopia’s Amhara tension
Residents of the Ethiopian city of Debrebirhan have told the media that at least two civilians who had sought refuge in a displacement camp have died during clashes there as protests in the nation’s Amhara region grow more violent.
Last week, when Ethiopia’s federal government announced a proposal to disband the Amhara region’s special forces, protests broke out. Locals worry that the change may leave the area vulnerable to attacks.
The revisions are one of the conditions of a peace agreement that the federal government and former rebels from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) agreed last November to put an end to the war.
Residents have told the BBC that Tuesday’s clashes between federal security forces and local militias in Debrebirhan, 130 km north of the capital, Addis Ababa, stayed for hours.
According to one resident, the two individuals killed were sheltered in a camp in the city after fleeing ethnic-based violence in the country’s western Oromia region.
Another resident said protesters raided a police department in the city, vowing to free people detained in connection with a massive anti-government rally on Sunday.
There have been eight different statements from federal and regional authorities since protests began in which they argued the integration of the special forces into the national army or police will strengthen the country’s security apparatus, but the protests have continued.
The unrest was reported in the Amhara capital, Bahirdar, on Tuesday.
In the latest statement, the head of the ruling Prosperity Party’s regional branch blamed the violence on “failure to create awareness”, and said the government was ready to resolve any issues through dialogue.