Borkena News Desk
TORONTO, Canada — Ethiopia’s Former Minister For Foreign Affairs, Gedu Andargachew, discussed what he described as political and security crisis that led to the emergence of Fano Force – rebel groups extensively operating in the Amhara region and recently in parts of Oromia, particularly Wollega area of oromia region.
In an interview with Ethiopian Media Service which aired on Thursday, Gedu Andargachew explained the circumstances that led to the emergency of Fano forces.
Soon after ending his Foreign Minister role, he briefly worked as national security advisor to prime minister Abiy Ahmed. He reckons that there was an agreement in the government that paramilitary military forces organized under regional states constituted a security challenge to the federal government. “It was agreeable,” he said. However, he continued, the focus remained only on the Amhara region.
When the paramilitary forces in Tigray and Oromia were not disarmed, the focus was on Amhara forces. And the region, Gedu says, already reported that it is facing a security problem. Recurring massacres of ethnic Amhara communities in the Oromia and Benishangul Gumuz regions were making headlines – among other challenges.
Gedu also stated that the federal government decided to disarm Fano forces in the Amhara region “within three weeks.” The statement that government officials made [ he was making a reference to the Defense Chief of Staff and the Prime Minister that they can only disarm them but also make them “remove their belt” ] was derogatory to Amhara people, and gave a foundation for Fano forces to emerge in all parts of Amhara. Gedu says Fano’s cause is “concrete.”
Take a listen to his interview and share your views in the comment section.
Video: embedded from Ethiopian Media Services YouTube channel.
Cover photo: Screenshot from the video
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I would like to take a moment to thank Obbo Gedu for years of service to that country that produced us all. I hope you and your family are doing fine. I also hope that you will not be part of the war drum beaters here among us who have been urging the youth back there in the old country to take to the bushes. These connivers send their children and grandchildren to schools and extra curricular activities here from their safe and comfy home but they howl battle cries ‘zaraaf, gerersa and laloye’ instigating the young men and women in Amhara and Oromia regions to take up arms. I’m not saying this in complete denial of the atrocities that took place in almost every region there. Every ethnic group and religion have been targets of bigots and connivers that have been wreaking havoc there since 1974. But as a man of peace, I don’t believe violence can be permanently expurgated by countering violence. This will send the already mangled country into on-going cycles of violence making the nation a failed state. Then the entire 135+ million war rattled citizens will be on the move. This possibility is the one that deprives me of sleep.
Blessings to you and your entire family.