Violence has erupted between government forces and Fano militias — a paramilitary force in Amhara that backed federal forces during the recent most Tigray war — in the Amhara region of Ethiopia this month. The Ethiopian government has imposed a six-month state of emergency across Amhara. According to multiple sources including the BBC, the latest Ethiopian armed violence, which is rendered Ethiopia’s worst crisis since the civil war in the northern Tigray region that ended in November last year and has by this time led to the deaths of more than two dozen, has now calmed in some major cities but clashes are still going on in several smaller towns of the volatile region of Amhara between the groups.
Amhara, Ethiopia’s second-largest region, is one of the most unstable areas that has experienced various conflicts and power struggles in recent decades, often resulting in violent clashes involving several groups including ethnic groups and political factions. Conflicts have resulted in deaths, displacements and property damages and other economic impacts and torn apart the social makeup, causing deep divisions and mistrust among ethnic groups. The latest web of violence, which has escalated between the government forces and the Amhara militia Fano since the government’s announcement of its regional integration plan aming to integrate regional special forces into other security institutions at the beginning of April 2023, may lead to prolonged violence with the possibility of economic, social and other impacts further in Amhara if it is not ended earlier.
Peace building efforts have been made by the Abiy government since 2018 for mitigating conflicts and fostering reconciliation in all the regions of Ethiopia. By engaging in dialogue with various stakeholders, the Ethiopian government has been working towards addressing grievances and root causes through peaceful means with an aim to restore peace and stability across Ethiopia including the Amhara region, allowing for the socio-economic development and well-being of residents. But ethnicity driven fissures in Ethiopia, along with scant or ineffective negotiation efforts of the government, which aims to integrate all regional forces either into the national army or the federal forces, and several other causes, led to making several controversial decisions and made it difficult to resolve disputes and promote peace in Ethiopia.
It is pertinent to say that one of the key problems in Ethiopia is the long-standing ethnic tensions. Ethnic tensions have been exacerbated by several factors including historical grievances, competition over resources and political marginalization, leading to a cycle of violence and unrest, in several regions of Ethiopia. The good relationship between the national government and the armed groups in Amhara in their two years fight in Tigray against the TPLF that has now soured is also directly and indirctly driven by ethnicity and related causes including ethnicity driven distrust. Notably, the ethno-nationalist militia group perceives that the recent integration efforts of federal authorities that led to the current conflict can weaken regional paramilitary groups and Amhara’s defenses.
The integration of regional forces into the national military is definitely not surprising and does appear to be unreasoned, given it can help make peace. But efforts need to be made effective and addressing complex and multifaceted underlying factors is crucial to successfully end violence and restore peace in the Amhara region. Talks between/among the parties, instead of force, may be helpful more. Political deadlocks on the status of Welkait, Humera, Tselemt and Raya areas, officially located within Tigray but contain many ethnic Amhara communities that want to be incorporated into Amhara, need to be resolved. Addressing other grievances including the marginalization concerns of the people of Amhara, who growingly perceive that the Federal government is weakening Amhara, is also crucial.
Among other causes, ethnicity driven distrust may put a further challenge and will probably make it difficult for the national government to gain widespread support for its recently declared integration plan and effectively address the underlying issues of tensions in Amhara, along with several other regions of Ethiopia. A comprehensive approach that focuses on promoting social cohesion, fostering inclusive governance and providing sustainable livelihoods for the people of the Amhara region, along with confidence building efforts, may be helpful in resolving disputes and making peace. It is also desired that indiscriminate arrests including the arrest of opposition politicians by the regional authority are avoided in the Amhara region.
