NAIROBI (Reuters) - Ethiopian government forces battled militiamen on Friday in the capital of the Amhara region, Bahir Dar, the regional administration and residents said, in the first fighting there since the early days of the conflict last year. Ethiopia's military has been fighting insurgents from the Fano militia since July in a conflict that left more than 200 people dead last year, according to United Nations reports. Government officials have said on several occasions in recent months that the violence in Amhara, the country's second-largest region, is under control. "These extremist groups could not resist the combined strength of the security forces, leaving behind their dead and wounded and abandoning their weapons," it said. A resident of the town of Merawi, 36 km (22 miles) from Bahir Dar, said there had been fighting there too on Friday but it had also died down.

Source: Ethiopian News March 01, 2024 14:56 UTC