Fano forces make a huge claim about their drone jamming capabilities as Abiy intensifies drone strikes in the Amhara region.
The rebels based mainly in the northwestern Amhara region have been battling forces loyal to the Oromo genocidal ruler Abiy Ahmed.
Abiy Ahmed's mercenary army has failed to make significant gains on the ground and has now resorted to massive aerial campaign.
While Fano's hybrid battlefield strategy makes it hard for drones to be effective for Abiy, the mercenary army has intensified its drone strikes in hopes of exhausting the Amhara public who supports the rebels.
Several drone strikes have taken place in the four provinces of Wollo, Gojjam, Gondar and Shoa. Prior to this campaign, drone attacks were taking place in Gojjam only.
Local media close to the fighters are reporting that the rebels have already acquired or are in the process of capturing drone jamming technologies from their foreign backers.
Israel and neighboring Eritrea allegedly back Fano forces. It's not clear if the anti-drone technology was supplied by the two countries. Abiy Ahmed's mercenary army is fully backed and armed by UAE.
Several jews of Ethiopian decent moved back to Gondar in the last couple of years to join Fano factions fighting Abiy Ahmed and TPLF forces.
Fano expands to new territories...
Fano forces have reportedly taken control of new territories in the last month. One is Metekel, an Amhara majority province but under the Benshagul-Gumuz region according to Ethiopia's ethnic regional arrangement.
Fano factions in Agew-Awi zone took control of Enjibara, the seat of the zonal administration. Areas near Dessie and Kombolcha in south Wollo zone fell to the Wollo Fano faction led by Colonel Fantahun Muhabaw & Colonel Moges Zewdie.
Heavy fighting in the outskirts of the regional capital, BahirDar, has continued for weeks now. Civilian infrastructure like bridges, schools and health centers have been destroyed.
How will this conflict end?
Up to 80% the Amhara region is reportedly under the rebels. But the group is yet to make it out of the region and threaten Abiy Ahmed's power base in Addis Ababa.
Last week, United States special envoy to Ethiopia, Mike Hammer appeared in a US congress hearing where he made a statement suggesting there is no peaceful way out of the Amhara war unlike Abiy Ahmed's war against TPLF and OLA.
Abiy and the TPLF/OLA fought a two year long horrific war that killed over a million people. They both accept the current ethnic arrangement and constitution. Their war was mainly about power. When they got exhausted, they ended the war in November 2022.
Fano's demands are completely different. They are asking for a new constitution and federal arrangement that is almost a revolution to Ethiopia's ruling class and they will never sit to negotiate their downfall.