Members of Amhara’s special forces and allied militias vowed to oppose Thursday’s order, setting up a standoff with the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who said in a statement that the plan was “for the sake of Ethiopia’s national unity.”
The order applies to all of Ethiopia’s 11 regions, which have their own regional armies and the right use their own language, but has been received particularly badly in Amhara, the second biggest, which has fallen out with Abiy recently.
A resident of Gondar, where a large protest was taking place, said members of the Amhara special forces had fired their weapons into the sky all night in defiance of the order.
Two residents of the town of Kobo said they heard artillery fire outside the town. It was not immediately clear who was responsible. There were protests in at least six other towns, residents said, all speaking on condition of anonymity out of fear for their safety.
Spokespersons for Ethiopia’s…
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