Gunmen have seized several cities and raided several prisons in Amhara Region in northern Ethiopia, an Ethiopian official has disclosed. Temesgen Tiruneh, the chairman of the state of emergency general department command, told state media outlets in a video on Sunday evening that the gunmen have taken control of some zonal and district cities in the Amhara Region. He said that the gunmen have raided several prisons in the region and freed convicted criminals, adding the government is currently engaged in security operations to reverse ongoing security problems in the region. Last 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. The ongoing unrest has forced Ethiopia's national air carrier Ethiopian Airlines to cancel flights to three destinations in the Amhara Region.

Source: Ethiopian News August 07, 2023 17:47 UTC