Hundreds Killed as Ethiopian Forces Clash with Fano

Ethiopia’s military announced on Friday that its troops had killed more than 300 fighters from the Fano armed group during two days of intense clashes in the northern Amhara region, as concerns grow over a potential broader conflict.

Fano, a loosely organized militia, previously fought alongside the Ethiopian army and Eritrean forces in the two-year civil war against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). However, relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea have since deteriorated, with Eritrea excluded from the November 2022 peace negotiations that ended the war.

In recent weeks, fears of renewed conflict have intensified after reports surfaced that Eritrea had ordered a nationwide military mobilization, while Ethiopia deployed troops along the border.

Clashes between Ethiopian forces and Fano erupted in July 2023, driven in part by discontent among Amhara factions over the terms of the 2022 peace agreement.

“The extremist group calling itself Fano… carried out attacks in various zones of the Amhara region under the name of Operation Unity and has been destroyed,” the Ethiopian army said in a statement on Friday. The military reported that 317 Fano fighters were killed and 125 injured.

However, Abebe Fantahun, a spokesperson for Amhara Fano in Wollo Bete-Amhara, disputed the army’s figures, telling Reuters that the number of casualties among their fighters was fewer than 30.

Meanwhile, Fano spokesperson Yohannes Nigusu, based in Gondar, claimed that the militia had inflicted heavy losses on government forces, alleging that 602 federal soldiers were killed, 430 wounded, and 98 captured. He also stated that Fano had seized weapons during the clashes.

The Ethiopian army further accused Brigadier General Migbey Haile, reportedly linked to a TPLF faction, of supporting Fano’s Operation Unity. However, Abebe rejected this claim as false, denying any connection between Haile and the militia.

Reuters/Patience Ameh