Ethiopia’s military announced Friday that its forces killed over 300 Fano fighters in two days of intense clashes.
The confrontations occurred in the northern Amhara region, signaling a potential escalation of conflict.
This recent fighting ignites concerns about renewed large-scale warfare in the country.
The Fano militia previously fought alongside the Ethiopian army against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
This alliance occurred during the two-year civil war that ended with a peace deal in November 2022.
However, tensions have since emerged, particularly due to Eritrea’s exclusion from those crucial peace negotiations.
Recent weeks have seen a rise in apprehension as Eritrea reportedly initiated a nationwide military mobilization.
Simultaneously, Ethiopia deployed its troops towards their shared border, further fueling anxieties.
Hostilities between the Ethiopian army and Fano militias initially erupted in July 2023.
These earlier clashes were partly driven by feelings of betrayal among many Amharas regarding the 2022 peace agreement terms.
In a statement released on Friday, the Ethiopian army declared that the “extremist group calling itself Fano…has been destroyed.”
The military claimed 317 Fano fighters were killed and another 125 sustained injuries during the recent operations.
