This archive report was first published on 4 October 2019.
October 4, 2019
Clashes between regional special forces and a minority ethnic group in Ethiopia's Amhara region have left at least 20 people dead in the past five days, according to a local political official.
The violence is the latest headache for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who has been implementing reforms in the country since 2018.
Amhara, Ethiopia's second-most populous province, has been a flashpoint for tensions following violence that killed dozens of people, including the region's president, in June.
The clashes erupted last Friday when armed men ambushed a minibus traveling to the city of Gondar, killing 10 people, said Desalegn Chane, president of the National Movement of Amhara (Nama) party.
Chane linked the violence to the Kimant Committee, a group of locally elected leaders campaigning for self-determination for the Kimant people, an ethnic sub-group in Amhara region.
However, Fekadu Mamo, the chairman of the committee, disputed the accusations, saying individual members of the community were fighting back in self-defence after being targeted by the militias.
The US Embassy in Addis Ababa issued a security alert on Thursday, warning of gunfire, roadblocks, and destruction of property in the city of Gondar and the wider Amhara region.
