The conflict in Ethiopia’s Amhara region, now approaching its second year, has intensified over the past week, according to residents. Government forces and Fano militants have each claimed victories, with both sides reporting gains over the other. One of Ethiopia’s most populous and influential regions remains gripped by a simmering conflict, with tensions continuing to haunt the war-ravaged country despite the peace deal that ended the Tigray war four years ago.

In addition to the loss of lives, residents report enduring severe hardships and a deepening sense of disillusionment. Human rights organisations report extrajudicial killings, attacks on civilians, unlawful detentions, and widespread property damage.

The government recently announced that $10 billion will be required for rehabilitation efforts to recover from the devastation caused by the conflict in the region.

Although the 10-month state of emergency officially ended on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, observers assert that the region remains in a de facto state of emergency. A human rights activist described the region’s crisis as ‘multifaceted and complex.’ Daily and social activities were severely restricted, including disruptions to education and medical services, forcing the community to struggle to make ends meet.

According to the state government, 148 mothers have died during childbirth and 70 people have succumbed to malaria in the past six months. A total of 4.2 million students, or 60 percent of the state’s student population, are out of school, and parents report being fined for failing to send their children to school. A forum for higher education institutions in the Amhara Regional State reported that over 5,000 survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) sought clinical care in the year leading up to September 2024. However, the actual number is believed to be even higher.

In one way or another, it is difficult to find a place where the conflict isn’t affecting people, both in terms of human and material tolls.

Lalibela’s tourism industry crumbles

Lalibela, nestled in the mountains of north-central Ethiopia, was the country’s most visited Christian shrine, renowned for its monolithic rock-hewn churches and drawing thousands of pilgrims and tourists each year. Tourism is the town’s backbone. People there depend on tourism revenue, either directly or indirectly. The conflict that began in the Tigray region in 2020 started to affect the area, and by 2023, as the violence spread to the Amhara region, Lalibela was largely deserted, cutting off tourism and depriving residents of their livelihoods. “Tourism is almost nonexistent—everything is shut down,” said one resident, noting that hotels have laid off their staff and those who once relied on the tourism industry have lost their livelihoods.

All activities have come to a halt, and all of us who depend on the industry are suffering terribly,” said Estalu Kelemu, the head of the St. Lalibela Tour Association, which represents 165 tour guides.

Tsegaye, a father of three who has worked as a tour guide for over 15 years, said, “It’s disheartening. When we see people walking by, we assume they’re doing well and have enough to eat. Every time I leave the house and come back, my wife asks me for money—but where am I supposed to get it? All we do now is argue and go in circles.”

“I’ve had enough. If it were not for my children, I would have ended my life,” he added.

“Many guides and drivers used to earn good money when there were tourists, even being able to help others; now we are obliged to ask for charity, and it is one of the most humiliating experiences, Estalu says.

Lalibela has been the scene of frequent fighting, and on more than one occasion, the town and airport have been seized by Fano militia forces and flights have been disrupted.

Priests stated that Lalibela’s churches, dating back to the 12th and 13th centuries, had been damaged by vibrations from artillery fire, leading to cracks in the structures.

The town of Lalibela has been significantly affected by the war due to its reliance on tourism, but the conflict has been even more devastating in other towns across the region.

A priest residing in Merawi — the town where government forces carried out summary executions of scores of civilians in January 2024 — reports that his monthly salary is 3,000 birr and says he is ‘struggling to live.’

The father of six, who says the price of Teff ( a staple crop) has more than doubled, noted that the rising cost of commodities has made life unbearable.

A human rights activist who closely follows the region said: ‘When a commodity reaches Bahir Dar or Gondar from Addis Ababa, traders raise the price due to taxes imposed by government militias and militants along the way.

A trader based in Bahir Dar says it’s no longer possible to import goods the way it was in the past — products can now take a month or two to arrive.

Business owners in the area are up in arms over mounting government pressure, with excessive taxes and so-called ‘corridor development contributions’ bleeding them dry.

Residents say the health insurance payment, originally optional, is now being treated as mandatory—and in some cases, they’re being charged twice.

Civil servants in the region—especially those living in areas controlled by Fano—say their salaries will be cut for months.

Teachers have been caught in the crossfire between the two warring forces, with some even selling their furniture to cope with pay cuts.

Banking services have been suspended in areas occupied by Fano forces, and residents are unable to withdraw their money, even when they travel to other regions. In government-controlled areas, people are being accused and attacked simply for having family ties to Fano.

The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) recently reported the brutal killing of numerous civilians, including women and children, in heavy artillery and drone strikes that violated the principles of necessity and proportionality.

Widespread reports have emerged of “retaliatory” actions by government security forces against civilians, even after the Fano forces withdrew from towns.

“When government forces are attacked, their response often involves killing civilians in the vicinity. Similar attacks have been reported across various regions,” says a human rights advocate.

Former Foreign Minister Gedu Andargachew, who also served as the regional president for five years and is now in exile in the United States, said: ‘Most of the country’s army is currently stationed in the Amhara region. The air force, ground forces, the so-called commandos, special forces, federal police, and regional special forces are continuously attacking the population and causing widespread destruction.

Fano militants are reportedly carrying out attacks, particularly targeting individuals in administrative positions and those perceived to be affiliated with the government. In December 2024, more than thirty district and kebele officials in Dega Damot District, West Gojjam Zone, were killed by Fano militants. Fano Gojam’s public spokesperson, Marshet Tsehayu, said: “Officials in every district are fighting side by side with government forces and are just as aggressive. They come at us head-on. So, just as they take action when they capture us, we’ll take action when we capture them.”

Mass Arrests

Rights activists said a large number of people were ethnically targeted and arbitrarily detained in connection with the state of emergency declared in the region, particularly in Addis Ababa and Awash Arba. Since the lifting of the emergency rules in September 2024, more than 6,000 people have been detained in four detention centers for allegedly being affiliated with Fano. One of these detainees is Ayalew Talama, the head of the Biology Department at Wollo University. He told the BBC that he, along with 13 other university professors, was arrested at their residences during the night and detained for five months without legal grounds at a military camp in Koresa, outside Kombolcha town. More than 1,000 people were detained in the camp, spread across different halls, with around 100 individuals in each hall, including teenagers, the elderly, mothers, and people with disabilities, he said.

Ayalew said the detainees came from all walks of life, including farmers, businessmen, doctors, teachers, priests, judges, bankers, government officials, and police officers. After being interrogated for a month, the detainees were categorized into four groups: ‘Fano fighters,’ logisticians, informants, and activists. Only about 200 people, including Ayalew, appeared in court in Dessie on October 31, 2024. “This is the saddest day of my life,” Ayalew said. “We were charged with accusations of blocking roads, kidnapping people, extorting money, burning schools and health centers, and preventing the community from educating its children… We have been charged with ‘involvement in acts of violence and violent subversion of the Constitution,’” the university professor added. When the judge described the charges as ‘too broad’ and asked for more specific details, the police accused Ayalew of ‘recruiting members in connection with anti-peace forces.’ The court allowed him to be released on bail due to a ‘lack of evidence’. However, in violation of their bail rights and court orders, the prisoners, including Ayalew, were taken from the gates of the Dessie court and re-detained.

Health services strained

The Amhara region is home to 100 government hospitals, 923 health centers, 3,725 health posts, 882 ambulances, and over 1,500 private health facilities.

However, the ongoing armed conflict in various parts of the region has led to widespread damage to health infrastructure and significantly disrupted the delivery of health services. According to a document prepared by the Forum for Higher Education Institutes in the Amhara region, between July 2023 and September 2024, 969 health facilities were damaged or looted. Additionally, over 1,000 health workers have either resigned, relocated, or lost their lives due to the ongoing conflict.

Health service stations have been damaged by drone strikes, and health professionals report being threatened and accused of providing care to members of Fano.

Furthermore, patients are being left without treatment due to shortages of medication and medical supplies, along with movement restrictions and serious safety concerns.

Several ambulances have been seized by military forces or members of Fano, according to eyewitness accounts. A health professional working at a health post in the North Gojjam Zone stated that only one out of the six ambulances that used to serve the woreda is operational. Gedu Andargachew, when he was president of the region, took steps to reduce maternal and child mortality in the health sector. He ensured that each woreda had five to six ambulances, noting that ‘most of them are now being used by the army.

(A report by the BBC Amharic, published on the news website on April 14, 2025. The text was translated from the original text, Amharic into English by Ismaël MOUSSA. )