Amhara region - The African Mirror

Mar

2024

‘Horrific’ civilian toll as Ethiopia turns to combat drones to quell local insurgencies

THE Ethiopian Orthodox priest reached the site of the explosion just minutes after the missile had hit. It was a scene of complete devastation. “It was horrific,” he told The New Humanitarian. “The place was littered with body parts of dead people, intact dead bodies, and survivors with missing limbs who were moaning in pain.” The target on 19 February in Ethiopia’s restive Amhara region was an Isuzu truck transporting dozens of civilians, the priest and another witness said. The attack was carried out by a military drone that had been hovering over the area, they added. The second witness,…

Nov

2023

By DAWIT ENDESHAW and GIULIA PARAVICINI

Residents report gunfire in Ethiopian holy city, but govt says all peaceful

NEWS

FIGHTING broke out between the army and a regional militia in Ethiopia's mediaeval holy city of Lalibela, a World Heritage site, four residents told Reuters, but the government said the area was peaceful. Fano, a part-time militia in the northern Amhara region which has no formal command structure, has been battling the army since late July. It captured Lalibela, famous for its rock-hewn churches, and Gondar, the second-biggest city in Amhara, for several days in August before being repulsed. The fighting, which has killed hundreds of people, is the biggest security challenge faced by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed since the Tigray war ended…

Apr

2023

By The African Mirror

Explosion kills at least two in Ethiopia’s Amhara amid protests

NEWS

AT least two people were killed by an explosion in the capital of Ethiopia's Amhara region, which has been convulsed by days of protests against the integration of local security forces into the national police and army. Members of Amhara's local military and allied militias said they opposed the government's order to disband and join the federal army or police, sparking days of protests in several towns and cities across the region. On Monday an explosion killed two people and wounded several others in Bahir Dar, according to a police officer. It was not clear what caused the explosion or…

Apr

2023

By The African Mirror

Aid group says two employees killed in Ethiopia’s Amhara region

NEWS

TWO Catholic Relief Services (CRS) workers were shot and killed in Ethiopia's Amhara region, the charity said, amid violent anti-government protests triggered by a federal government decision to disband regional special forces units. CRS director of communications Kim Pozniak said on Monday that the incident occurred in the town of Kobo, where residents reported heavy artillery fire on Sunday but did not say whether the shootings were linked to the unrest. "Details of the murder are still unknown," CRS said in a statement. The victims were Chuol Tongyik, one of CRS's security managers, and Amare Kindeya, a driver. They were…

Jan

2023

By The African Mirror

Amhara forces withdraw from parts of Ethiopia’s Tigray region, army says

NEWS

DAWIT ENDESHAW ETHIOPIA'S army said forces from the Amhara region, who fought in support of the federal government during the two-year war in neighbouring Tigray, have withdrawn from a major Tigray city in line with an African Union-backed ceasefire. However, a humanitarian worker in the city of Shire said Amhara forces were still there in "significant numbers." It was not immediately possible to verify the situation on the ground. Ethiopia's government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), a guerrilla force-turned-political party that dominates the region, agreed on November 2 to stop fighting following talks. The withdrawal of Amhara forces…

Dec

2021

By The African Mirror

Ethiopian forces recapture two strategic towns

NEWS

ETHIOPIAN forces have recaptured the strategic towns of Dessie and Kombolcha from rebellious Tigrayan forces, the government said on Monday, the latest sign of the government retaking territory. Forces aligned with the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) had taken control of the towns, in the Amhara region, just over a month ago, and then threatened to march on the capital Addis Ababa. TPLF spokesperson Getachew Reda could not be immediately reached for comment on the government's statement. Reuters was unable to verify the statement. Phone lines are down in the towns. The government's communication service that announced the victory has…

Dec

2021

By The African Mirror

Ethiopian govt recaptures U.N. World Heritage site

NEWS

ETHIOPIAN government forces and their regional allies have recaptured the town of Lalibela - a United Nations World Heritage Site - from Tigrayan forces, the prime minister's office has announced. Forces aligned with the Tigray People's Liberation Front had taken control of the town, in the Amhara region, in early August. "The historic town of Lalibela has been liberated and cleared off TPLF occupation," Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's office said in a tweet. TPLF spokesperson Getachew Reda could not be immediately reached for comment. Lalibela is home to ancient rock-hewn churches and a holy site for millions of Ethiopian Orthodox…

Dec

2021

By The African Mirror

Ethiopia’s PM, on frontline, urges troops to ‘destroy’ enemy

NEWS

ETHIOPIAN Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said his foes had been defeated and promised to recapture territory in the region of Amhara from rebellious Tigrayan forces after praising military victories against the Tigrayans in the region of Afar. Footage from the front that aired on state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting on Tuesday showed Abiy wearing military jungle fatigues and cap and scanning the horizon with binoculars. "The East Command secured an unimaginable victory in just one day of planning and a day and a half long fighting," he said. "Now we will repeat that victory in this front." Fana said he was addressing…

Sep

2021

By The African Mirror

‘Tigray forces killed 120 civilians in village in 2 days’

NEWS

REBELLIOUS forces from the Tigray region killed 120 civilians over two days in a village in Ethiopia's Amhara region, local officials told Reuters. The killings in a village 10 km (six miles) from the town of Dabat took place on September 1 and 2, said Sewnet Wubalem, the local administrator in Dabat, and Chalachew Dagnew, spokesperson of the nearby city of Gondar. A spokesperson for Tigrayan forces did not immediately respond to a request for comment on what is the first report of Tigrayan forces killing a large number of civilians since seizing territory in Amhara. Tens of thousands of…

Sep

2021

By The African Mirror

Tigrayan forces accused of looting aid warehouses

NEWS

FORCES from Ethiopia's Tigray region in recent weeks looted warehouses belonging to the U.S. government's humanitarian agency in the Amhara region, USAID's Ethiopia director said on Tuesday. War broke out in the mountainous region last November between Ethiopian troops and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which controls the region. The conflict has killed thousands and caused a humanitarian crisis. After retaking control of most of Tigray in late June and early July, Tigrayan forces pushed into the neighbouring Afar and Amhara regions, displacing several hundred thousand more people from their homes. "We do have proof that several of our…