Armed resistance groups in Ethiopia’s Amhara region, formerly known as the Amhara Fano National Force and the Amhara Fano Popular Organization, have announced a merger under a unified and centralized command structure, now operating as the Amhara Fano National Movement.
In a statement released following the merger, the movement said Zemene Kassie was elected chairperson, with three vice chairpersons appointed to different roles: Meketaw Mamo as vice chairperson, Habte Wolde as vice chairperson for the military wing, and Henok Adisse as vice chairperson for the political wing. The group also announced the appointment of former Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) general Tefera Mamo as chief of the army.
As part of the restructuring, Eskinder Nega, chairperson of the former Amhara Fano Popular Organization, was appointed head of the movement’s Policy and Strategy Department, a move the group said reflects efforts to narrow differences between the previously separate factions.
The movement said it has issued messages to various stakeholders, including the Amhara diaspora, supporters of the resistance, and the international community. In its appeal, the group called on the international community to advocate for humanitarian assistance to people in need in the Amhara region and pledged to cooperate to ensure that aid reaches affected communities.
The Amhara Fano groups have been fighting the government for nearly three years, opposing what they describe as government-backed, ethnically motivated attacks against Amhara communities across the country.
