The latest clashes broke out on Wednesday, with Fano eventually seizing control of much of Lalibela, according to residents. But on Thursday, a resident said that the fighters had "left during the night" and "ENDF now control the city". Residents had said the fierce fighting on Wednesday saw federal forces pushed back to a base on the outskirts of the town, which has a population of around 37,000 according to official statistics. Ethiopia's human rights body in September accused federal forces of carrying out extra-judicial killings in Amhara and mass arbitrary detentions in the region and elsewhere under the state of emergency. And when Abiy's government announced it was disbanding regional forces, it triggered angry protests by Amhara nationalists who said it would weaken their region.
