Ethiopia Extends State of Emergency in Amhara

Ethiopian parliament today decided to extend the state of emergency in the Amhara region of northern the country for four months, which was imposed in August due to a rebellion that resulted in the deaths of hundreds and raised allegations of widespread human rights abuses. Clashes erupted in Amhara in July between federal forces and a local armed group called Fano, which accuses the government of undermining the region's security. The state of emergency grants the government powers to impose curfews, restrict the movement of residents, and prohibit public gatherings. Since August, government forces have pushed Fano fighters out of cities, but fighting has continued in small towns and rural areas. The parliament stated that the extension came at the request of the Minister of Justice following discussions among lawmakers. The government denies attempting to undermine the security of Amhara. The conflict in the region erupted less than a year after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government reached a peace agreement in November 2022 that ended a two-year civil war in the neighboring Tigray region, which resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands. Fano fighters fought alongside the army against the Tigray People's Liberation Front but relations between the two sides quickly soured. This is partly due to the peace agreement, which many in Amhara believe did not address their concerns about security threats from the neighboring regions of Tigray and Oromia. The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, appointed by the state, documented a range of abuses in the Amhara conflict, mostly attributed to government forces. In October, the commission reported that dozens of civilians were killed in drone strikes and house searches carried out by government forces.