(Bloomberg) — Ethiopian Airlines canceled flights between Addis Ababa, the nation’s capital, and the northern Amhara region amid reports of fighting between government forces and a rebel group.
Tensions between the Fano militia army — a group that recently allied with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in his two-year war against rebels from the Tigray region — have escalated since the government decided in April to integrate all regional special forces either into the national army or the police force. Fano refused to surrender its weapons, sparking clashes with federal troops.
No flights to Amhara have been available since Aug. 1. Gizachew Muluneh, a spokesman for the region, and an Ethiopian Airlines spokesperson didn’t respond to requests for comment.
“Due to the instability in the Amhara region, we recommend that Spanish citizens avoid traveling in the area,” the Spanish Embassy in Ethiopia said in a travel advisory on Wednesday. It advised Spanish nationals in the historic Amhara city of Lalibela not to leave their hotels or homes.
On Aug. 1, army spokesman Getnet Adane said the military would take action against Fano for disturbing the peace, and on Wednesday the state-owned Ethiopian Broadcast Corp. cited Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen as saying the security problems in Amhara region are of increasing concern.
It is now reported that Ethiopian Airlines has suspended daily flights to certain towns and cities in Amhara region. This is very sad news. It seems we don’t learn from others in our own country. Senseless violence and destruction have refused to let that gem of the colored go. They don’t seem ready to leave that country alone. Just imagine the inevitable if this spotty face-off gets out of hand into an all out region wide conflict. In previous similar conflict it took place in a region of a much smaller size. It is reported that close to a million citizens had perished in a region of less than 6.5 million people. The population in Amhara region is close to 30 million.
Take the casualty of a million in a region with 6.5 million people and extrapolate that in a region of close to 30 million. That is not something I want to dwell on it. For those of you who get high fanning the flames of war from your comfy homes here among our Diaspora, don’t think this is a laughing matter. It is not funny, okay! You must be ashamed of yourselves!!!
There is another one that has been raging in the western part of Oromia that has not been getting the attention of the West and its media. That one worries me even more. Even though we hear a lot of exaggerated ‘feats’ of so-called OLA what I’m getting from my relatives is the group is not a cohesive one. By one estimate there are at least 8 factions of armed vagabonds roaming that region. Each has its own sub leaders and operation style. Some of them are outright robbers and at will murderers. Their main source of revenue is ransom they are remunerated by those they kidnap. They are now confined in rural areas where law enforcement is thin. But it is a matter of time before they barge into large towns and cities. Then you will see the two backbones of the country, Amhara and Oromia regions, going belly up at the same time. That is the dreaded scenario depriving me sleep for quite some time now. May Our Creator Save That Blessed Country; So that country which produced Bilal ibn Rabah and Mary Magdalene who saved both major religions of that country and the world Shall not perish.