A military helicopter en route from Gondar city to the Gorgora resort went down in the Debresina locality of Dembia district around 6:45 a.m. on Sunday. Kirubel Gobe, public relations officer for the Amhara Fano Popular Organization’s Gondar Division, said Fano rebels engaged the aircraft with an RPG launcher on its second trip. Locals reported hearing a loud explosion at the time.
The Amhara National Regional State communications office issued a statement attributing the incident to a technical error, without specifying what malfunction occurred. There is no independent confirmation of either account, and federal authorities have not yet commented.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that at least one cameraman aboard the helicopter was killed and that several high‑ranking officials were on board. Agegnehu Teshager, former Amhara president and current Speaker of the House of Federation, was expected to be among the visitors alongside Deputy Prime Minister Temesgen Tiruneh and other senior officials inspecting regional development projects, but he did not appear; these accounts suggest he sustained minor injuries in the incident. Neither his office nor any government media outlets have confirmed his condition or presence on the flight.
Earlier this week, Ethiopia’s Defense Chief of Staff, Field Marshal Berhanu Jula, told Parliament that federal forces had “annihilated 90 percent” of rebel elements nationwide. If the helicopter was indeed brought down by Fano fighters, it would represent a serious escalation in the Amhara region, where clashes between regional militias and federal troops have occurred intermittently since late 2023.
Rescue and recovery teams have reached the site and are conducting operations under heightened security. Officials from both federal and regional governments are reported to be traveling to Gondar to coordinate the investigation. Further details on casualties and the cause of the incident await the findings of an official inquiry.
