The Fano militia has recently taken control of the border area between Ethiopia and Sudan.
According to Amhara News, a post on the platform X (formerly Twitter) stated that Fano forces had seized multiple border villages along the Metema-Gondar route.
This action led to over 300 Ethiopian border guards fleeing into Sudan. The report also mentioned that these soldiers attempted to return to Metema but suffered heavy casualties in the process.
The Amhara News post was accompanied by a video captioned, “Fano/Amhara forces have captured 80 Ethiopian National Defense Forces soldiers in Gondar after destroying their base.
The Ethiopian army is collapsing on multiple fronts in the Gondar Amhara region.”
Previously, the rebel Fano militia, active in Ethiopia’s Amhara region bordering Sudan’s Gedaref state, had taken control of the Metema Yohannes area near the Sudanese town of Galabat in Gedaref.
Local sources indicated that some Ethiopian residents and traders in Metema showed solidarity with the Fano forces, aiding their control over the area, the border crossing, and trade routes, while Ethiopian military units repositioned in Shehedi.
These developments have raised concerns over the security and humanitarian situation of thousands of Sudanese refugees in the Metema area of Ethiopia, especially if the Ethiopian army decides to engage the Fano militia.
The ongoing instability threatens to further complicate the already fragile conditions for displaced populations along the border.