EPO Weekly Update (28 May 2024)

Situation Summary

A humanitarian worker and a refugee were killed as clashes escalated in Amhara region, while a rare incident in South Ethiopia region resulted in the death of a foreign national. Meanwhile, cross-border attacks were reported along the Tigray-Afar border.

Clashes intensify again in Amhara region

In Amhara region, fighting between the Ethiopian National Defense Force and Fano militias intensified during the last week, with clashes reported in West Gojam, Awi, North and South Wello, North Shewa, and South, Central, and West Gondar zones.  Clashes in Amhara region doubled during the week in comparison to the rest of the month of May. In addition to increased reported fighting, a humanitarian worker was shot and killed on 24 May, and several others injured after his convoy was attacked by unidentified gunmen between Gondar and Metema.¹Staff Writer, ‘’Killing of Aid Worker in Ethiopia Prompts Calls for Investigation,’ East African Review, 28 May 2024 A Fano representative in the Gondar area blamed the attack on government forces, saying they control the area that the convoy was passing through.²Amhara Association of America, ‘Amhara Fano in Gondar Statement on the Tragic Killing of an Aid Worker in Gondar,’ 26 May 2024

Despite increased recorded clashes, Amhara’s regional president announced on 25 May that the government had resumed services in all but eight of the 266 woredas in the region.³Addis Standard, ‘We have resumed governmental services in the Amhara region except for eight woredas—Arega Kebede, Amhara region president,’ 25 May 2024 Notably, clashes returned to Lalibela, an important tourist and cultural town in North Wello zone.  In early November 2023, the town was briefly controlled by Fano militias, prompting fighting that saw heavy weapons fired near historical churches. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front controlled Lalibela in August 2021 during the northern conflict, which led to damage to hotels and the airport during the war. 

Meanwhile, also in Amhara region, issues concerning refugees continued. On 18 May, unidentified armed men shot and killed an Eritrean refugee at Chila in Dabat Woreda (North Gonder zone) after abducting him from the Alemwach refugee camp  a day before. Insecurity in Amhara region, partially tied to the Fano insurgency, has worsened over the past few months and led to numerous incidents of kidnapping. On 1 May, thousands of Sudanese refugees protested and left camps in West Gondar zone, citing an unbearable level of insecurity. 

Spanish tourist among those killed in South Ethiopia region security incident

On 20 May, suspected Mursi ethnic militiamen clashed with ethnic Ari militiamen in the Mago National Park. Three Ethiopian citizens and one Spanish citizen, a photographer,⁴Abdoulie Sey, ‘Four including Spanish tourist killed in Ethiopian skirmish,’ APA, 22 May 2024 were killed in the exchange of fire. ENDF forces intervened and arrested several people involved in the incident. 

Security incidents involving tourists are very rare in Ethiopia. However, during the Northern Conflict tourist visits to the country dropped significantly and have yet to fully recover. Some key tourist locations in Tigray region that were closed throughout the Northern Conflict were reopened following a government initiative in December 2023.⁵Fana Broadcasting, ‘Bureau Embarks On An Initiative To Reopen Tourism Sector In Tigray Region,’ 29 December 2023 The government’s Ethiopian Investment Commission recently identified tourism as a key opportunity for foreign investment,⁶Fana Broadcasting, ‘Ethiopia Presents Lucrative Investment Opportunities In The Tourism Sector,’ 7 May 2024 but the sector’s growth has been hindered by ongoing insecurity in areas of Amhara and Oromia and parts of the country’s south.

Pastoralist attacks in Tigray region

In Tigray region, on 21 May at least seven people were reportedly killed after an unidentified armed group from Afar region crossed the border into Raya Azebo Woreda and attacked a group of cattle herders guarding livestock. The Tigray Interim Regional Administration called upon the Afar regional government and federal police to investigate the matter and pursue the attackers.⁷Tigray Communication Affairs Bureau, ‘A statement from the Tigray Interim Government,’ 21 May 2024 

Raya Azebo woreda is located northeast of Raya Alamata woreda, which saw heavy fighting in February between Amhara and Tigray militias. Boundary-related clashes involving pastoralists are common in Ethiopia, but they are often exacerbated by broader political tensions. ACLED records 16  incidents involving pastoralist actors since 24 May 2023.