Fano Rebel Leader Rejects Amhara Separatism & Claims their Fight is for Fundamental Change in Ethiopia.

Amhara Fano rebels leader says his group is fighting to end a genocide, not to separate from Ethiopia.

Chairman of Amhara Fano popular organization, an armed rebel movement in Ethiopia's Amhara, says his group is not fighting for a seperate Amhara nation but for a fundamental change across Ethiopia that solves Amhara concerns.

In an interview with a US based Amhara media, Eskinder Nega said his troops picked up arms after the regime of prime minister committed "genocide" on Amhara Ethiopians who live outside of what is called the Amhara region.

Members of the Amhara tribe live across Ethiopia but a 1995 constitution enacted by former dictator Meles Zenawi made Ethiopia an ethnic federalism which made tens of millions of Amharas non-citizens as they live outside of territories considered part of the Amhara region.

Tens of thousands of Amharas have been killed mainly in Oromiya, Southern and Somali regions in genocide like mass killings since 2018 as the central government lost control of the country.

Eskinder says the "genocide" was declared by Abiy Ahmed who came to power in 2018 as the new dictator wanted to consolidate power by giving armed religious and ethnic gangs a freeride to massacre Amharas. International investigators also confirmed the killings were committed by government affiliated groups.

Abiy denies role in the mass killings. But at the end of the two year war against TPLF in 2023, he intensified military crackdown against Eskinder and his group.

According to Eskinder, the rebels are fighting to end the regime of prime minister and push for fundamental change but not to secede from Ethiopia as some have believed.

Eskinder's group has hundreds of thousands of fighters in key provinces including Northern Shoa located within a 100kms of the capital Addis Ababa.

Eskinder has been accused of being a coward and sellout by his rivals within the rebels who want separate from Ethiopia.