Addis Ababa. The Ethiopian government declared a state of emergency on Friday after several days of clashes in the Amhara region between the army and local members of the Fano militia.
Clashes that broke out in Ethiopia’s second largest region earlier in the week have quickly escalated into a security crisis. The Amhara regional government on Thursday requested additional help from federal authorities to restore order.
The statement from Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s office announcing the state of emergency did not say whether it applied only in Amhara or across the country.
“It has been deemed necessary to declare a state of emergency because it is difficult to control this scandalous activity with the ordinary legal system,” the text says.
The statement authorizes the Government to prohibit public meetings, make arrests without a warrant and impose curfews.
The Fano militia was a key ally of the army (ENDF) during a two-year civil war in the neighboring Tigray region that ended last November, but the relationship has soured over recent efforts by the authorities. federal forces to weaken regional paramilitary groups.
Two residents of Gondar, Amhara’s second-largest city, said on Friday that heavy fighting had broken out near the university the day before.
“The ENDF controlled the university first, but the Fano pushed them back. They were trying to advance towards the center of the city, but they couldn’t,” said a resident.
The other, a local official, said the military had withdrawn from the university, but did not say why. Both asked not to be identified for security reasons.
A Fano member, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said the militants were trying to encircle Bahir Dar, the capital of Amhara. He said they had captured Merawi, a town 30 kilometers south of Bahir Dar.
