An explosion in Ethiopia’s Amhara region’s capital killed at least two people after days of protests against the inclusion of local security forces into the national police and army.
As local military and militia personnel refused to quit and join the federal army or police, several Amhara towns and villages were rocked by days-long protests.
An explosion in Bahir Dar on Monday killed two and wounded several, according to authorities. The explosion’s connection to the protests was unclear.
Mitiku Tegne, Addis Alem Hospital’s temporary medical director, said three men were killed and 15 were wounded while watching football at a pub.
After days of protests in Debre Birhan, Amhara, banks, schools, and government offices closed on Tuesday.
Gunfire and heavy weapons were heard on the city’s outskirts Tuesday morning.
The Ethiopia Red Cross said that unknown gunmen shot and wounded a midwife and an ambulance driver in downtown Gondar on Sunday evening, severely weakening Amhara’s security.
Mesfin Dreje, its spokeswoman, asked all armed factions to cease assaulting people and follow international humanitarian law.
Two CRS personnel were in Amhara on Sunday, according to a news statement.
The World Food Programme has halted aid in Amhara since last Friday due to the protests, according to two humanitarian sources.
Amhara Regional Administration Spokesman Gizachew Muluneh and Federal Government Spokesperson Legesse Tulu did not respond to requests for comment on the explosion, Red Cross attack, or WFP suspension.
Amhara lawmakers and activists have challenged the government’s demand to integrate local troops from Ethiopia’s 11 autonomous regions into the police or federal army.
They believe that disbanding Amhara’s military would allow an attack from neighboring Tigray, whose leaders agreed to a truce with the federal government in November, ending a two-year battle that killed tens of thousands.
