Ethiopian troops appeared to be pushing back militia fighters in two cities in the conflict-hit Amhara region, residents said Wednesday, after local authorities reported that “relative peace” was being restored.
There has been no official casualty toll from the Amhara violence, but two hospital doctors told AFP that a number of civilians have died and many injured.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government last week declared a six-month state of emergency in the region after clashes erupted between local fighters and federal troops.
The fresh unrest in Africa’s second most populous country comes just nine months after the end of a devastating two-year war in the neighbouring Tigray region that also drew in Amhara fighters.
Tensions have been boiling since April, when the federal government announced it was dismantling regional forces across Ethiopia, triggering protests by Amhara nationalists who said the move would weaken their region.
The United States has expressed concern about the fighting, and several Western nations have advised their citizens against travelling to Amhara.
Amhara’s regional administration said late Tuesday calm was being restored, although some residents reported continuing gunfire Wednesday.
“The violence that happened recently in some areas of our region, which was aided by extremist and predatory power-hungry groups, is returning to relative peace and stability in all areas of the region,” the Amhara government said.
Ethiopian Airlines also announced it was resuming flights to the region’s capital Bahir Dar and the city of Gondar from Thursday after suspending operations on Tuesday.
Comments are closed.