Ethiopia’s military announced Friday that it had killed more than 300 fighters from the Fano armed group during two days of intense clashes in the northern Amhara region.
The fighting, described as part of an escalating conflict, has heightened fears of a broader war.
The Fano militia previously fought alongside Ethiopia’s national army and Eritrean forces in the two-year civil war against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which ended with a peace deal in November 2022.
Since the agreement, tensions have surged, particularly between Ethiopia and Eritrea, after Asmara was excluded from the negotiations.
Recent reports of Eritrea’s nationwide military mobilization and Ethiopia’s deployment of troops toward their shared border have fueled speculation of renewed hostilities.
Clashes between Ethiopian forces and Fano fighters reignited in July 2023, driven by Amhara grievances over the 2022 peace deal.
On Friday, the Ethiopian army declared victory in the latest skirmishes, stating, “The extremist group calling itself Fano… carried out attacks in various zones of the Amhara region under the name of Operation Unity and has been destroyed.”
According to the army, 317 Fano fighters were killed and 125 injured.
The military also accused Brigadier General Migbey Haile, a senior officer linked to a faction of the divided TPLF, of supporting the militia’s operation.
Fano, a loosely organized collection of militias with no centralized leadership, has not issued a response to the allegations.
Similarly, a senior official from the TPLF faction linked to the accusations did not immediately comment on the situation.
The evolving conflict underscores the fragile peace in Ethiopia, raising concerns of further violence in a region still recovering from years of war.