Ethiopia declares state of emergency in Amhara, accuses militia of seeking to overthrow govt

Militiamen in the Amhara region have been accused by a senior Ethiopian official of seeking to overthrow the regional and federal governments, as authorities declared a state of emergency following days of fighting.

While the Ethiopian army and the Amhara militia were allies in the two-year civil war against the northern Tigray region, but now the clashes between the two sides have been escalating, with the sound of heavy weapons fire echoing across Amhara’s second-biggest city. Mobile internet is reportedly down in the region, residents say, while Ethiopian Airlines have cancelled flights to three of the four airports it flies to in Amhara. The conflict has quickly become Ethiopia’s most serious security crisis since a two-year civil war in Tigray region, which neighbors Amhara, ended in November last year.

Ethiopia’s government declared a state of emergency on Friday (4 August) following days of clashes in the restive region between the military and the local Fano militia. “This robbery force is operating with the goal and intention of overthrowing the regional government by force and then advancing to the federal system,” said Temesgen Tiruneh, Director-General of Ethiopia’s national intelligence service who was appointed to oversee enforcement of the state of emergency.

The measure gives the security services the power to impose curfews, restrict movement, ban the carrying of guns and sharp objects, ban public gatherings and make arrests and conduct searches without warrants. The relationship between the Fano militia and the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) deteriorated after the Tigray war, in part over recent efforts by federal authorities to weaken regional paramilitary groups.