In a press statement, the airline said it has canceled planned weekend flights to the cities of Dessie, Gonder, and Lalibela in the turbulent northern Ethiopian region. The cancellation of flights to Ethiopia's second most populous region means that the regional capital, Bahir Dar, is currently the only city in Amhara with an air link. Earlier on Friday, the Ethiopian government declared a state of emergency in the Amhara region amid ongoing clashes between the government military and local militiamen known as Fano. On Friday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on advancing peace, prosperity, and stability in Ethiopia. Both parties The Secretary and Prime Minister discussed establishing a humanitarian aid distribution system with strengthened oversight to meet the shared goal of restarting food aid as soon as possible.

Source: Ethiopian News August 06, 2023 09:26 UTC