Demis Yimer, the Commander-in-Chief of the Wollo faction loyal to the Amhara Fano People’s Organization (AFPO), has been confirmed dead following a major battle that broke out between Fano and Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) with riot dispersals in North Wollo. An official statement from the AFPO has confirmed his death, alongside reports from pro-AFPO sources and government-affiliated media, which stated that approximately 47 of his fighters were also killed in the engagement.
Despite these losses, the AFPO has declared the battle a strategic victory. In its statement, the organization acknowledged the deaths of several prominent figures, including Kora Derbe and Getachew Ashagre, but emphasized that ENDF forces suffered heavy casualties, including the deaths of multiple majors and high-ranking commanders. The AFPO claims that remaining ENDF units were forced to retreat toward the nearby town of Gashena.
Under Demis Yimer’s , the Wollo faction had become a major component of the AFPO’s broader resistance, though it was not the largest. That role belongs to Mihretu “Mire” Wodajo’s Amhara Fano in Wollo, also known as Bete-Amhara, now a core element of the newly formed Amhara Fano National Force, which represents a coalition of four factions united under a single command structure.
Meanwhile, the AFPO has suffered significant setbacks in other regions. In Gondar, Colonel Tadesse Eshete’s was reported dead earlier this year, and in South Gondar, the death of commander Kefyalew Dessie led to the surrender of Tsedalu Dessie and his fighters. Currently, Battalion Etege Taytu, led by Teshome Abebaw, remains the only AFPO-aligned group still active in South Gondar.
Despite these developments, both the AFPO and the Amhara Fano National Force have expressed a readiness to engage in peaceful negotiations. This position echoes recent appeals from international figures, including U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia Ervin Massinga, who has called for dialogue and urged all armed actors to pursue nonviolent resolutions.
Both groups have laid out preconditions for negotiations, calling for credible engagement, protection of Amhara civilians, and recognition of the root causes of the conflict. The federal government is yet to respond to the call from U.S embassy in Addis Ababa, whose statement urging the government to “cease the use of drone strikes against its own people” that was hours later retracted to “continue seeking peaceful resolutions”. 100%(80+) of the drone strikes after the end of the tigray war have targeted the Amhara region.
The death of Demis Yimer marks a significant moment in the ongoing struggle in the Amhara region. While it represents a blow to the AFPO, it also underlines the intensity of the conflict and the need for a negotiated end to the violence that continues to harm civilians across northern Ethiopia.
