Ethiopian Airlines canceled this Tuesday its scheduled flights from Wednesday to Friday to the capital of Amhara, Bahir Dar, the last airport in operation in this region, now in the hands of the Fano militia, and in which about twenty Spanish tourists remain trapped in a hotel.
The national company had already stopped its connections with the other three regional airports of Gondar, Lalibela and Dessie since last week. “Ethiopian Airlines would like to inform its customers that flights scheduled for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to Dessie, Gondar, Lalibela and Bahir Dar have been cancelled,” Ethiopian Airlines, the only carrier providing domestic connections to the public in Ethiopia, said in a statement. general.
The Ethiopian government has acknowledged having lost control of several areas in the northwestern region of the country during the last days of fighting, now in the hands of the Fano militia, a former ally of the federal army.
“These rogue troops are operating with the aim of overthrowing the (Amhara) regional government by force and then moving on to fight the federal system,” said the director general of Ethiopia’s Intelligence and Security Services (NISS). , Temesgen Tiruneh, in a press conference broadcast on Monday by the local media.
Thus, without mentioning the name of Fano or indicating which areas are now taken by the insurgents, Temesgen lamented the setbacks by government forces. In addition, he noted that the militia “has released criminals” from some Amhara prisons.
The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has informed La Vanguardia that the twenty Spanish tourists, among them several Catalans who were traveling in two groups from two different travel agencies, have been taking refuge in a hotel in the Amhara region since last week “they were surprised the open fire between different militias”.
“Since 4 [August] the Ethiopian government has declared a state of emergency in the Amhara region, which is why they are strongly recommended not to leave the hotel where they are,” the ministry said.
Foreign Affairs affirms that both the Embassy and the Spanish Consulate have been monitoring the situation from day one and maintain daily contact with the group, which “is in good condition and has food and water that is being provided from the hotel.” “The Embassy is taking steps with local authorities, international organizations present in the area and other embassies to seek a possible coordinated solution,” they indicate.
The Amhara region is one of the areas that the Ministry considers “high risk” and strongly recommends not to go, as stated on the Foreign Affairs website.
Tensions between Fano and the Ethiopian federal government began to grow, especially since last April, when the central administration decided to dissolve the armed group, backed by the authorities of that region, and other military forces in the country to integrate them into the Army. federal.
Violence broke out at the end of July in the areas (provinces) of Gojam Oriental and Wollo Norte, both in Amhara, where residents assured EFE last Tuesday that Fano took control of the airport in the city of Lalibela, famous for its churches. excavated in rock and designated as a World Heritage Site by Unesco.
However, Colonel Getnett Adane, spokesman for the Ethiopian Defense Forces, denied that the militants had taken control of the airport in statements to EFE.
The NGO Center for the Advancement of Rights and Democracy (CARD) has denounced the blocking of Internet connections in various places in the Amhara region, a fact that hinders communications and independent confirmation of possible progress in Fano.
In response to the hostilities, Addis Ababa declared a state of emergency on August 4, shortly after the president of Amhara, Yelikal Kefale, asked for more help from the central authorities to resolve the growing “insecurity” in that area, distancing himself so of the militia.
Fano participated as an ally of the federal troops in the war that Addis Ababa and the northern region of Tigré waged for two years, until the signing of a peace agreement last November.
