APA-Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) Armed force in Ethiopia’s Amhara region has issued a stern advisory, warning university students to refrain from going back to their respective campuses and resume classes.
The warning comes after the government passed instructions to universities in the Amhara region to resume classes as of next week.
The armed force, also known as ‘Fano’ in a statement said alleged that the government’s call is a political maneuver to portray Fano forces as an impediment, intending to exploit it for propaganda purposes. It deems the directive for students to return to universities as “very irresponsible.”
Elementary and secondary schools, particularly in the Gojjam areas of Amhara region remained closed due to the ongoing conflict between Fano and the Ethiopian government forces.
“Universities in the region may face serious security predicament and the government and students who do not comply with the advisory will be responsible for anything that will happen,” Fano said in a statement.
Debre Markos University and Bahir Dar University on Thursday announced that students are supposed to report to the university as part of the preparation to resume class.
Continued hostilities persist in various parts of the region. On Wednesday, heavy fighting was reported in the Mersa area(North Wollo), with local sources indicating that Fano forces gained control over parts of the town.
Within a week, Fano forces penetrated major towns such as Debreberhan (only 120 kilometers north of the capital Addis Ababa) and Gondar in the region. These developments came after weeks of government claims that peace had been restored in the region.
The ongoing challenges in the Amhara region suggest that the regional state struggles to independently maintain peace and security, relying on the Defense Force for “law and order.”
Even with the Defense Force deployed across the region, senior government officials continue to face ambushes by Fano Forces. In August 2023, Abiy Ahmed’s government declared a state of emergency in the Amhara region, citing an invitation from the regional government to restore “law and order” amid a deteriorating security situation.
MG/abj/APA