After clashes, businesses reopen in Ethiopia's Amhara region

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Businesses have begun to reopen in Ethiopia’s Amhara region following days of civil unrest and clashes. Ethiopia’s second-largest region had been engulfed in disorder after the federal government’s move to centralize the country’s regional security forces. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed made the decision to begin dismantling regional forces, and pursue building a “strong centralized army”. Regional security forces have oftentimes resembled the private militias of feudal barons.

Parts of Amhara had been subjected to gun battles and mass protests after the federal government’s announcement. The Amhara region’s security forces played a prominent role in the civil war against Tigray, fighting alongside the federal military, which erupted in 2020 and ended with a ceasefire signed in November, leaving tens of thousands dead.

Ethiopia’s constitution allows its states to run a “police force” to maintain peace, law, and order. However, some states have built powerful security services resembling small armies that sometimes clash. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has vowed to push on with dismantling these regional security forces, calling them a threat to Ethiopia’s integrity.

Escalations

The situation had escalated, with reports of serious exchanges of gunfire involving heavy weapons and aid workers being targeted, leading to the suspension of operations by the World Food Programme. The decision to dismantle regional forces had been met with resistance from Amharas who feared for their safety and saw the move as a threat to their regional autonomy.

Some units of the region’s security forces have refused to disarm and clashed with the federal military. The situation had escalated, with reports of serious exchanges of gunfire involving heavy weapons in several areas of the region, including Kobo, Woldia, Sekota, Debre Birhan, Dessie, Debre Tabor, and the regional capital, Bahir Dar.

On Sunday the 9th of April 2023, two aid workers employed by Catholic Relief Services were shot and killed while driving near the town of Kobo, while an Ethiopian Red Cross ambulance was shot at “by unknown armed forces” in Amhara’s Central Gondar zone on the same day, injuring a midwife and a driver. Aid workers in other hotspots across the region have been told to “hibernate,” while the World Food Programme has suspended operations.

Protesters have burned tyres and blocked roads as banks and shops closed. In response, the Amhara regional government has imposed a curfew and blocked mobile internet services in some areas, including Gondar, a popular tourist town.