Ethiopia: The Amhara Conflict, or the Fano Rebellion

Ethiopia is home to numerous ethnic groups, each with distinct languages, customs, and traditions. While this ethnic diversity has shaped the country’s rich cultural heritage, it has also fueled domestic political tensions under the legacy of “divide and rule” policies perpetuated by successive regimes, including post-imperial rulers (i.e., those after 1974). These tensions often escalate into conflicts, particularly when issues of political representation and resource distribution intersect with narratives of historical grievances. Despite recent rapid economic growth, which enabled Ethiopia to join BRICS in 2024, persistent challenges such as poverty, unemployment, and income inequality exacerbate interethnic divisions and contribute to instability. This is evidenced by successive conflicts in the Tigray, Oromia, and Amhara regions. While the Tigray conflict (2020–2022) between the Tigrayan people and the central government has been examined in several works by Russian Africanists, the subsequent unrest in Amhara State and the ongoing conflict between the federal government and the Amhara Fano militia have yet to receive sufficient scholarly attention in Russian academia. This article aims to address this gap.

Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed, Amhara conflict, federalism, political crisis, Fano