ADDIS ABABA, March 22 – Ethiopia’s military announced on Friday that its troops killed more than 300 fighters from the Fano militia in two days of intense fighting in the northern Amhara region, reigniting concerns over a wider conflict in the country.
The clashes come amid growing tensions following Eritrea’s reported nationwide military mobilization and Ethiopia’s troop movements toward their shared border. Relations between the two former allies have soured since Eritrea was excluded from the 2022 peace deal that ended a two-year war against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
Fano, a loosely organized militia, previously fought alongside the Ethiopian army and Eritrean forces in that war. However, fighting between the militia and the federal government erupted in July 2023, driven in part by grievances over the terms of the peace agreement.
In a statement, the Ethiopian army accused Fano of launching attacks across multiple zones in Amhara under “Operation Unity” and claimed to have “destroyed” the group’s offensive. According to military figures, 317 Fano fighters were killed and 125 injured.
Fano representatives have strongly disputed the military’s casualty count. Amhara Fano spokesperson Abebe Fantahun told Reuters that fewer than 30 of their fighters had died. Meanwhile, Yohannes Nigusu, a Fano spokesperson in Gondar, countered that the militia had killed 602 federal soldiers, wounded 430, and captured 98 troops while seizing weapons.
There are also conflicting reports about Brigadier General Migbey Haile’s alleged support for Fano’s offensive. The Ethiopian military accused the senior official, linked to a faction of the TPLF, of backing the militia. However, Fano representatives dismissed this as false.
The casualty figures remain unverified, as Ethiopian military spokesperson Getnet Adane and federal government representative Legesse Tulu have not commented on Fano’s claims. Officials from the TPLF faction associated with Migbey Haile have also not responded.
