Key figures
Who is fighting
Government of Ethiopia
- Ethiopian National Defense Force
- Amhara regional police and militias
- Federal police
Amhara Fano National Movement (AFNM) and other Fano factions
- Amhara Fano National Movement (unified January 2026)
- Residual independent Fano factions
- TPLF and OLA (allied since September 2026)
- Eritrea (alleged by Ethiopia; denied)
Force sizes are estimates of personnel or fighters, usually from IISS, government statements or specialist reporting; irregular forces are especially hard to count. "(reported)" marks external support that the backer disputes or has not confirmed.
Background
Fano were Amhara volunteer fighters who fought alongside the federal army against the TPLF in 2020-2022. When the government moved in April 2023 to dissolve regional special forces and sought a settlement with Tigray that Amhara nationalists saw as a betrayal, protests turned into an armed uprising. In August 2023 Fano briefly seized Lalibela, Gondar and other towns; a state of emergency followed. Drone strikes on Finote Selam (26 killed), Merawi (89 killed) and East Gojjam (100+ reported killed in April 2025) became emblematic of the war's civilian toll.
Fano's many factions united in stages: four groups formed the Amhara Fano National Force in May 2025, and in January 2026 the two main blocs merged into the Amhara Fano National Movement (AFNM) under Zemene Kassie. The AFNM launched offensives across central Amhara in February 2026 and 'Operation Ayisha Seid' on election day, 1 June 2026. In August 2026 its leaders said they had reached understandings with seven other groups; on 20 September the AFNM joined the TPLF, OLA and others in the EPFAS coalition and took part in the Kobo-front fighting that opened the northern war. The UN reported in October 2026 that a government programme to return displaced people to Kobo had been suspended because of insecurity.
Recent developments
- 10 October 2026UN reports that returns of displaced people to Kobo have been suspended as security deteriorates in Amhara. source ↗
- 23 September 2026Fano forces attack along the Kobo-Tumuga front as part of the coalition offensive; Fano claims 10 military trucks captured. source ↗
- 21 September 2026AFNM is a founding member of the seven-group anti-government alliance announced with the TPLF and OLA. source ↗
- 18 August 2026A Fano leader says armed groups have formed a coalition to work toward the fall of Abiy Ahmed. source ↗
- 1 June 2026Election-day offensive triggers more than 90 clashes across Amhara; a road blockade on 29 May halted transport between Amhara cities. source ↗
Timeline
- 9 April 2023Protests erupt across Amhara against the federal plan to dissolve regional special forces.
- 4 August 2023After Fano seize Lalibela and fight in Gondar and Debre Tabor, the government declares a state of emergency.
- 13 August 2023Drone strike on Finote Selam kills 26.
- 30 January 2024Merawi massacre: at least 89 civilians killed by government forces.
- 1 September 2024Fano seize Metemma on the Sudan border during a regional offensive.
- 17 April 2025Drone strike in East Gojjam reportedly kills more than 100 people.
- 9 May 2025Four factions unite as the Amhara Fano National Force.
- 10 October 2025'Operation Adem Ali' against Woldiya; ICRC evacuates injured captives; Ethiopia accuses Eritrea and the TPLF of collusion.
- 22 January 2026Fano blocs merge into the Amhara Fano National Movement, the first joint command.
- 4 February 2026AFNM offensive across central Amhara; fighters enter Debre Tabor before withdrawing under drone strikes.
- 1 June 2026'Operation Ayisha Seid' on election day: more than 90 clashes, the most on any day since 2023 (ACLED).
- 20 September 2026AFNM joins the TPLF-led EPFAS coalition; Fano units fight on the Kobo front from 23 September.
Casualties and displacement in detail
| Measure | Low | High | What the figure covers · source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total killed (cumulative) | 15,000 | – | 'Over 15,000 casualties, combatants and civilians' reported by The Reporter (Ethiopia); the figure may include wounded and is not independently verified. The UN counted more than 2,000 civilians killed in 2024 alone, over 300 of them in drone strikes. en.wikipedia.org ↗ |
| Combatants killed | – | – | Claims by both sides (e.g. army claimed 317 Fano killed in March 2025; a Fano-aligned monitor claimed 4,084 government casualties in April 2026) are unverifiable. amharaamerica.org ↗ |
| Civilians killed | 2,000 | – | UN figure for 2024 alone; 2023 and 2025-2026 civilian deaths (Merawi 89, Birakat 40+, East Gojjam 100+, etc.) are additional. en.wikipedia.org ↗ |
| Wounded | – | – | Not recorded. en.wikipedia.org ↗ |
| Deaths in the last 12 months | – | – | No verified total; ACLED documents the most intense fighting of the war in 2026 but has not published an annual count in the sources retrieved. acleddata.com ↗ |
| Internally displaced | 100,000 | – | About 100,000 displaced by the Amhara conflict (compilation); Ethiopia's national IDP total is in the millions from several crises. en.wikipedia.org ↗ |
| Refugees abroad | – | – | Not separately recorded. en.wikipedia.org ↗ |
Intensity classification: Based on the UN's count of more than 2,000 civilians killed in Amhara in 2024 and ACLED's record of intense fighting in 2026 (more than 90 clashes on election day, 1 June 2026, the most since the war began). No verified 12-month fatality total exists; a partisan monitor claims thousands of government casualties per month, which cannot be checked..
Countries affected
Frequently asked questions
Who is fighting in the Amhara (Fano) insurgency, Ethiopia?
Government of Ethiopia (Ethiopian National Defense Force, Amhara regional police and militias, Federal police); against Amhara Fano National Movement (AFNM) and other Fano factions (Amhara Fano National Movement (unified January 2026), Residual independent Fano factions), supported by TPLF and OLA (allied since September 2026), Eritrea (alleged by Ethiopia; denied).
How many people have been killed?
Estimates range from 15,000+ killed as of 10 October 2026. 'Over 15,000 casualties, combatants and civilians' reported by The Reporter (Ethiopia); the figure may include wounded and is not independently verified. The UN counted more than 2,000 civilians killed in 2024 alone, over 300 of them in drone strikes. Civilian deaths are put at 2,000+. Figures come from the sources listed on this page and differ in method; see the caveats above.
Is the Amhara (Fano) insurgency, Ethiopia still ongoing in 2026?
Status as of 19 October 2026: Active fighting — Fano militias, drawn from the Amhara ethnic group, have fought the federal government since April 2023 over the dissolution of regional forces and grievances from the Tigray war. The factions unified under the Amhara Fano National Movement in January 2026, control much of rural Amhara, and in September 2026 joined the TPLF-led coalition that launched a nationwide offensive; the government relies heavily on drone strikes that have repeatedly killed civilians.
When did it start?
The current phase began on 9 April 2023, but the underlying conflict dates back to 2020 — 3 years, 6 months ago.
Sources
- ACLED — Africa Overview July 2026 (Ethiopia election-day violence) acleddata.com
- Wikipedia — Fano insurgency en.wikipedia.org
- Critical Threats — Africa File, 22 January 2026 (Fano unification) criticalthreats.org
- Al Jazeera — Ethiopian armed groups forge alliance (Sept 2026) aljazeera.com
- Crisis Group — Ethiopia crisisgroup.org
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