the Amhara Fano People’s Organization (AFPO) issued a statement claiming a series of bold attacks and battlefield successes against government forces in parts of the Amhara region. According to the statement, AFPO units operating in the Shewa and Gondar areas struck military positions and convoys, with the group describing heavy losses for the ruling army and the capture of weapons and prisoners.
The statement said that in Debre Birhan city — specifically in Atse Zeryakob sub-city, Kebele 6 — fighters from AFPO’s Shewa region, led by a unit identified as the Dejazmach Tesema Ergete sub-division, launched a night assault beginning around 10:00 p.m. and continuing into the early hours. AFPO described the attack as a sudden two-pronged assault that routed local military detachments and forced government units onto the defensive; the group said fuller details would be released in coming days.
AFPO also reported sustained fighting since the morning of October 1 around Rema town, near Wollo, where it said the “Emperor Dawit” and “Emperor Amde Tsion” divisions engaged what the statement called the administration’s 101st Airborne commando unit. The statement claimed the clashes spread through several kebeles — including Biraba, Mejit and Alabo Biraba — and asserted that government attempts at a concentrated counterattack failed to change the outcome that day.
In northern Amhara, the statement attributed further successes to AFPO’s 206th core in Semada district and to a unit dubbed the Guna sub-division, saying that an enemy force moving toward the “Yekusa” area was drawn into an ambush and suffered significant casualties and equipment losses. AFPO further claimed that its forces detained a number of captives who were being held “in accordance with international law.”
The release framed the day’s events as evidence of growing organization, morale and capability within AFPO and its allied units, saying the actions show a transition from defensive posture to a more sustained offensive capability across several districts.
Independent verification of the specific incidents described in AFPO’s statement is not available in this report. AFPO’s account contains detailed tactical claims and unit names that could not be independently confirmed from publicly available sources for the October 2018 date. Observers note that groups described as “Fano” or Amhara militia have been active in clashes with federal and regional forces in Amhara in later years, and that Debre Birhan and surrounding areas have been flashpoints in broader regional tensions.
Requests for comment to federal or regional military spokespeople were not included in the AFPO release; official statements or independent field reports confirming or disputing the claims in AFPO’s October 1 statement were not available at the time this report was prepared. Journalists and analysts typically treat single-source battlefield claims from armed groups with caution and seek corroboration from government statements, independent eyewitnesses, medical or humanitarian sources, and open-source geolocated evidence where possible.
