Ethiopian defense forces claim renewed Fano attempts to mount attacks ‘encouraged’, ‘coordinated’ by senior Tigrayan general in Amhara region ‘crushed’  

Bir. Gen. Migbe Haile. Photo: Screenshot/TMH

Addis Abeba – The Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) claimed its forces have “crushed” what it claimed was a “coordinated attack” in various parts of the Amhara regional state which was “encouraged and coordinated” by Brigadier General Migbe Haile, a senior member of the Tigrayan forces, “and his associates”.

In a statement released late this afternoon, the army also accused the Fano armed groups of involving “in subversive activities across multiple zones and districts in Ethiopia’s Amhara region.”

The statement came in the heels of a renewed and coordinated offensive launched by the various Fano groups operating in the Amahara region two days ago in a campaign dubbed as “campaign for unity.” There have since been several reports of renewed clashes in various parts of the war-torn region with reports of heavy causalities.  

Calling the Fano groups “extremists” the army accused them of “instigating violence” in the Amhara region, and claimed that Migbe Haile was behind the “Campaign for Unity,” an operation it alleged was aimed at “mobilizing forces and creating disturbances” in several zones and districts of the Amhara region. The ENDF stated that these forces had suffered “significant human and material losses” and that the effort had been “crushed.”

But in a new twist, the army added Brig. Gen. Migbe and accused him of being “a long-time agitator of conflict”, who pushed the people of Tigray into war “despite lacking military expertise.” It further accused the senior military commander of committing a litany of offences including attempts to “attack federal forces twice under the pretense of representing Western Tigray,” an area still under the occupation of Amhara and federal forces, “smuggling Tigrayan gold through Eritrea for personal gain,” and “working to disrupt the Pretoria Agreement and dismantle the interim administration in pursuit of political power.”  

Bir. Gen. Migbe Haile is among the senior military leaders who, in January 2025, called for the “restructuring and dissolution” of the Tigray Interim Administration, aligning themselves with Debretsion Gebremichael, chairman of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), whose faction has opposed the leadership of Interim Administration led by President Getachew Reda since the party’s 14th Congress in August last year.

The simmering rift between the two groups took a sharp escalation following Getachew’s suspension of three senior military commanders. The move was rejected by the region’s Bureau of Peace and Security, led by Tadesse, who also serves as Getachew’s deputy. The interim administration accused the generals of engaging in activities that “contradict government decisions” and pose a risk of “dragging the region into internal conflict.” However, the Peace and Security Bureau rejected the suspension, stating that it “violated institutional procedures and legal frameworks.”

Today’s statement from the army accusing Bir. Gen. Migbe the alleged involvement in the Amhara region points to a possible complication of the crisis and a heightened tension between the federal government and the breakaway faction of Tigrayan forces that included Brig. Gen. Migbe and several other senior members of the later.

The federal army claimed in the statement released late this evening that forces supported by Brig. Gen. Migbe “suffered heavy defeats in South Gondar, West Gondar, North Gojjam, East Gojjam, West Gojjam, and North Wollo. Over the past two days alone” and claimed that “317 militants have been killed, 41 wounded, 125 captured, 27 surrendered, 51 entered negotiations, and 15 intelligence officers have been detained.”

“The crushing of this extremist group orchestrated by Migbe Haile and his associates has resulted in the near-total elimination of their forces, leaving no significant resistance remaining,” the army claimed.

However, despite repeated claims by the federal army of “decisive victory” against the Fano groups in the past, the Amhara region continued to face multiple crises since the ongoing conflict errupted in August 2023, making the region the latest epicenter of a militarized conflict involving government forces and armed groups that swept large parts of the regional state. Since then the region has experienced destruction of numerous social and economic institutions attributed to conflict, resulting in the loss of property valued at over 15 billion birr.

Several reports from Addis Standard have highlighted the worsening humanitarian conditions with mass killings , displacements,  food shortages, and disruptions to essential services. The region remains one of Ethiopia’s most affected by internal strife, further complicating efforts to deliver aid and rebuild vital infrastructure.

Recently, regional state officials appealed to the international community seeking for a US$10 billion in recovery funding despite the ongoing conflict.

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