Ethiopia: Federal Government Admits Peace in Amhara ‘Not Fully Secured’

Addis Abeba — The federal government of Ethiopia has admitted that peace in the war-torn Amhara region “has not been fully secured as the people desire,” and that civilian movement “has not been completely freed from the threat of kidnapping and looting.”

In a statement issued on 29 June, the Federal Government Communication Service also said that “children in the region have not fully returned to school” and added that development conditions remain “less than conducive.”

The statement followed demonstrations held on 28 June in several parts of the Amhara region under the slogan “Peace for all; all for peace.” According to the government, the protests were organized so that the public could “make their grievances clearly heard,” and it acknowledged that while “relative peace prevails,” the security situation “has not been fully secured as the people desire.”

The demonstrations come as the militarized conflict in the Amhara region, marked by ongoing clashes between government forces and Fano militants, continues to disrupt civilian life. The fighting has displaced thousands, restricted humanitarian access, and severely affected education, health care, and other basic services. According to earlier reports by Addis Standard, more than 4.5 million students remain out of school, with over 3,600 schools closed as of March 2025.

In its statement, the Federal Government Communication Service similarly stated that “a conducive atmosphere has not been created for development activities to accelerate as desired by the people and government,” and noted that “future leaders have not fully returned to school.”

In response, the government pledged to make “superior efforts in coordination with the regional people, regional administration, and security forces,” and commended “the commitment shown by the people to protect peace in coordination with the government.” It also said it would work “to ensure the people’s peace” by “disciplining elements that do not accept peaceful alternatives,” using both regional and federal structures.

Commenting after the demonstrations, Deputy Prime Minister Temesgen Tiruneh said residents “have witnessed with their own eyes the destruction of infrastructure they built with their blood and sweat” by what he described as “enemy proxies who claim ‘it belongs to us.”‘ He added that “their children are being prevented from education, their cattle from grazing, and they are living under siege.”

He further stated that the public had become aware of “the identity of the sponsors” and “their current activities,” and accused the groups involved of employing “conspiratorial politics.” He warned that “both sponsors and proxies should realize they are not above the government and the people.”

The government’s latest admission stands in contrast to earlier comments by Minister of Peace Mohammed Endris, who said in an interview that “all zones of the Amhara region are very peaceful.” Speaking to state-affiliated Fana Television, the minister stated that out of 265 districts, “only two” lacked full government presence. He also said there was “virtually no force” capable of confronting government forces or taking control of cities, though he acknowledged the presence of “criminal elements.”

In its March update, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that “movement and access restrictions” had “affected humanitarian operations” across the Amhara region, leaving conflict-impacted communities with “limited access to basic services like health care, education, and clean water.” It identified areas such as Tach Gayint, Mehal Sayint, Wemberma, and Dewa Chefa as “hard-to-reach,” and warned that access limitations were “restricting aid distribution” and leaving many without critical assistance.

Similarly, Eyerus Mengistu, Deputy Head of the Amhara Regional State Education Bureau, stated that “only 470 out of 685 secondary schools in the region will conduct university entrance examinations” due to the militarized conflict in the region. “Numerous secondary schools have not started classes and are not administering exams,” she said.