“Amhara Fano Shewa Command main commander Colonel Assegid Mekonnen surrendered to government security forces,” the national defence force shared on social media, citing the National Intelligence and Security Task Force as a source.
He said “many armed groups and leaders in the Amhara region are accepting government calls and leading ‘peaceful’ lives.”
“I am Assegid Mekonnen Engdawork. My main profession is author and journalist. …Obviously I am a Fano leader. I surrendered in the morning around 8 o’clock,” Mekonnen said in an interview with state affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate (FBC).
He said due to division over tribalism and money, many of the armed groups and the group’s leaders are in acrimony and trying to eliminate one another which harmed the mission of the struggle…” said the Task Force.
Information is emerging from sources that appear to have links to Fano. They all confirm that he did not surrender. He gave orders to his junior commanders on a mission on Sunday.
There has been an internet shutdown in the Amhara region since August 2023 and was restored only last week.
MG/abj/APA