[Garowe] Æthiopia has launched a sweeping crackdown against an influential armed militia in its Amhara region that has led to the arrest of more than 4,000 people, including journalists, activists, and a former general.The militia group, known as the Fano, played a key role alongside the federal military in beating back November’s southward advance through the Amhara region by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which is fighting an 18-month-long civil war against the government and its allies.
Since then, the TPLF has retreated to its northern home region of Tigray, and the government has made attempts to disarm and demobilize the Fano militia, leading to a series of festivities with regional security forces.