[9] In early 2023, the government enacted the first stage of its plan to recentralize the Ethiopian security services and moved to dissolve the Amhara regional special forces.

[11] By mid-2023 much of the Amhara region had become a war zone[10] as Fano launched offensives in key cities, briefly taking control of some before being pushed back by the ENDF.

[11] After the Derg regime's fall in 1991, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) took control of the newly formed government, holding power for decades.

As hostilities unfolded in Tigray, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed enlisted tens of thousands of fighters from the neighboring Amhara region to join the fight against the TPLF.

During the war, Amhara militants under the banner of Fano seized contested areas of western and southern Tigray region, carrying out ethnic cleansing.

[11][34] The regional forces from Amhara acquired significant amounts of weaponry during the war along with training from Eritrean military advisors[35] and the conflict allowed Fano to expand.

The agreement stipulated that the status of Tigray’s occupied areas would be resolved “in accordance with the constitution,” though in practice, the issue remained unaddressed, with a delayed response from the government.

[11] In the wake of Pretoria, the Ethiopian government had come to view the partially demobilized and disarmed Tigray Defense Forces (TDF) as a potential bulwark against Amhara militants.

A previous attempt to organize peace talks fell apart due to internal divisions, which hindered the group’s ability to present a clear plan or position itself as a viable alternative.

On 9 April, large-scale protests were flared up in Gondar, Kobo, Seqota, Weldiya and other cities, including road obstruction and setting tires ablaze to block the incoming Ethiopian Army.

[48] According to the Ethiopian Red Cross Society, one of their ambulance was shot by unknown militants in Central Gondar Zone, injuring a midwife and driver.

Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen stated in a rare occasion that security problems in different areas of Amhara region were becoming "concerning.

Through the public broadcaster EBC, ENDF spokesperson Colonel Getnet Adane threatened to bring the military campaign against Fano if they continued "disturbing the country's peace".

[59] The Director-General of the Information Network Security Agency Temesgen Tiruneh stated on 6 August that irregular Amhara forces captured towns, released prisoners and seized government institutions.

There are credible reports of many civilian casualties and damages to property in various parts of Gondar and extra-judicial killings in Shewa Robit by the security forces, the details of which were yet to be fully investigated and verified as of 14 August 2023[update].

Seif Magango, a spokesperson for the U.N. human rights office, said in a statement that "It is imperative that all parties refrain from unlawful attacks and take all necessary measures to protect civilians.

[72] On 24 February, the Ethiopian federal government had decided to close the road leading from Shewa Robit to Dessie due to heavy fighting in certain areas between the two cities.

[76] On 22 March, Ethiopian Media Services reported that Brigadier General Gaddissa Diro was killed by Fano forces in Dega Damot woreda of Gojjam.

[11] The end of the rainy season has resulted in an escalation in the war, as drier conditions have allowed troops to maneuver, and clearer skies has enabled greater use of drone strikes.

[23] The Ethiopian National Defence Force and the Amhara regional government announced that security operations would be intensified in a joint statement issued on 1 October 2024.

[23] On 1 November, BBC Amharic reported that following insurgent attacks in East Welega Zone of Oromia, regional authorities ordered legally armed Amhara residents to surrender their private weapons.

[104] On 5 November, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed concern over the rising violence in the Amhara region in a phone call with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

[105] That same day, drone strikes and intense fighting erupted in the West Gojjam Zone when the ENDF attacked a Fano training camp, resulting in casualties among militants and civilians.

[18] On 9 November, the town of Shewa Robit was heavily shelled by artillery during a battle, and residents have reported living in a constant state of fear amid the ongoing war.

[20] The United Nations is considering suspending relief operations, including food aid deliveries, following attacks on humanitarian workers in the region.

Human Rights Watch reported that Ethiopian army troops have beaten, arbitrarily arrested, and intimidated medical workers for treating patients suspected of being Fano.

More than 5,000 women have sought medical treatment for sexual abuse since the start of the war, though this is believed to be a fraction of the real toll by Ethiopian civil society groups.

[11] The EHRC said that the Ethiopian Air Force's airstrikes and drone strikes on the cities of Debre Birhan, Finote Selam, and Bure has caused civilian casualties as well as damage to residential and public areas.

[110] The EHRC also said it had received "credible reports" that extrajudicial killings by security forces had taken place in Shewa Robit and that civilian casualties and property damage had occurred in Gondar.

[115] Refugees displaced in the Amhara region due to the ongoing Sudanese civil war have increasingly become targets of abuse from various armed actors, including Fano and the ENDF.