The Menelik Command of the Amhara Fano National Force said it concluded a roughly weeklong leadership meeting this week and unveiled a series of personnel moves and structural changes intended to tighten command and administration across its East Amhara zone operations.
A spokesman for the command described the decisions as “administrative measures,” without spelling out the details of every appointment; the public statement nevertheless outlined a retooled organizational chart and new oversight bodies meant to professionalize command functions.
The revised structure announced by Menelik Command includes units for audit and inspection, a military court, a law and ethics council, a formal chairmanship, a military advisor post, a clarified military operations structure, and finance oversight — changes the command framed as aimed at shoring up internal discipline and accountability.
Warkaw Mere Wodajo was confirmed to remain the chairperson of the Menelik Command, even as subordinate leadership posts were shuffled.
In a review of the past year’s activity, the command flagged operational successes and identified vulnerabilities it says must be fixed before the next phase of campaigning; among the actions it singled out as a notable achievement was an operation the command named “Adem Ali – Aba Nadew.”
The statement also accused federal forces of attempting to interfere with the meeting, alleging that the government deployed infantry and mechanized units along with combat drones to disrupt the gathering — charges the government has not acknowledged in the command’s release.
The leadership announcement comes against a backdrop of contested claims about a separate Fano faction: the government publicized the surrender of Masresha Setie, presenting it as part of a negotiated process involving regional authorities and international interlocutors, while leaders of the Amhara Fano Popular Organization say Masresha had already been suspended from the group after an internal investigation found clandestine contact with government officials.
State statements this week also reiterated claims of battlefield gains in North Gondar and of continued defections from Fano ranks — assertions that Fano leaders have disputed.
Taken together, the Menelik Command’s personnel shake-up and creation of formal oversight organs appear designed to consolidate control and address weaknesses it privately acknowledged, even as the wider conflict environment remains fluid and contested between Fano formations and federal forces.
