Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa is finally feeling the heat of the country's six years old civil war as Amhara Fano rebels attack a highly guarded neighborhood where regime officials reside in the city.
On April 12, 2024, Fano rebels exchanged gun fires against Abiy Ahmed forces in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa in a very first incident of its kind since Abiy Ahmed came to power in 2018.
Fano rebels who have been battling Abiy Ahmed's mercenary army since July 2023 control over 80% of the country's largest region Amhara. They have now moved their eyes on the country's capital Addis Ababa which has been insulated from the horrific civil war for long.
A highly guarded residential area populated by top officials of the regime came under fire in the morning of Friday. At least three government officials were killed by the Fano soldiers. Two of the Fano fighters were killed in the end, one escaped and another was wounded and captured.
Fano commands in Shoa and Gondar took responsibility for the attack saying this is the first of many more attacks coming to the capital.
Fano Shoa command has hundreds of thousands of fighters in a 100km radius of the capital. but they have been busy of fighting allied Oromo forces who are protecting the Oromo-first government of Abiy Ahmed. Abiy Ahmed himself admitted the capital is surrounded by the rebels which he refers as "Amhara Shene".
Colonel Abebe Mulat, spokesperson of the Amhara Fano command in Shoa province said the attack was organized by their command and the Gondar command. Leader of the unit that penetrated the capital was a member of the Gondar Fano army. He was killed after finishing all his ammunition in the fire. His blood-soaked body in the last second before he died was aired on the national Televison, ETV, in a move that shocked the country.
Fano forces have over 500,000 fighters across Gondar, Gojjam, Wollo and Shoa provinces of which many are ethnic Amhara but they have been consistently including other Ethiopians including Oromos who oppose the bloody reign of Abiy Ahmed.
Since Abiy Ahmed came to power in Ethiopia in 2018, Ethiopia has seen horrific civil wars that killed over a million of its citizens. The latest is in Amhara where Abiy Ahmed's army is stretched across four provinces.