There are numerous pro-government rallies underway across the Awi Zone, with residents in multiple woredas gathering to condemn recent Fano-linked violence and to express solidarity with the Prosperity Party’s administration. In towns such as Injibara and Dangila, groups of civil servants, clergy, business owners, horsemen and youth activists assembled along main thoroughfares, waving party flags and carrying placards that called for “peace through unity” and endorsed law enforcement measures aimed at restoring order.
Organizers maintain that these demonstrations reflect genuine local support for federal efforts to stabilize the region. In a statement released by Awi Communications, Tewodros Endowed, general administrator of the Awi National Assembly, praised participants’ commitment to peace and underscored the damage wrought by recent unrest: “The internal conflict that has been going on in the region and the ethnic administration has suffered human, material, social and economic damage,” he said. He added that many students have been excluded from education and that citizens’ movements have been severely restricted. “We will ensure lasting peace by ensuring the effectiveness of the law enforcement work that we have started with the full participation of our people,” Endowed told the crowd in Injibara.
However, critics question the spontaneity of these gatherings, suggesting they are government-coordinated and that attendance has been effectively mandated through workplace directives or local party offices. Opposition figures argue that incentives such as travel allowances have been offered in exchange for participation, and they warn that the rallies may serve a deeper political purpose: exploiting the distinct Agaw identity of the Awi population to drive a wedge between Agaw communities and other Amhara subregions. Critics also point out that these rallies are confined to the Awi Zone administration and not held in any other Amhara zones that are predominantly Amharic-speaking, calling into question the rallies’ nature and intent.
As the Prosperity Party advances its narrative of stability and progress, the question remains whether these demonstrations will foster genuine reconciliation or simply reinforce divisions along ethnic lines. For now, the streets of the Awi Zone resonate with calls for unity, even as skepticism lingers over the rallies’ origin and intent.
