According to Ethiopian media reports, in recent days, the Ethiopian government army and the anti-government armed Fano forces have been engaged in fierce fighting in the Metema and Armachiho areas of Amhara State. According to local sources, the conflict between the two sides has now lasted for 6 days, but no casualty reports have yet emerged.

In addition, reports also indicate that conflicts have broken out in Ankober and nearby areas less than 100 km from the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, and Fano forces are attempting to control the area. According to the local Fano forces' public relations officer, the war has been ongoing for some time, but no casualty details were provided. However, according to local residents, most of the conflict is located in rural areas.

Moreover, in recent times the war in the Gojjam area has never stopped, and the two sides are still engaged in fierce clashes. However, some sources indicate that the Ethiopian government army is at a disadvantage, and more and more government soldiers are choosing to desert. Even the use of drones and combat helicopters has been to no avail. There are also reports that Fano forces once shot down a combat helicopter, so Amhara State remains under blockade.

It is understood that in August 2023, the Ethiopian government announced a state of emergency in Amhara State and said it would resolve the Fano forces within a few weeks. However, more than a year has passed, and the conflict has only intensified, while the Fano forces are still continuously growing and have gained widespread local support.

Although the government has deployed elite troops and heavy equipment, it has been unable to contain the Fano movement. It is currently estimated that the Fano forces have nearly 500,000 soldiers, control most rural areas of Amhara State, and have begun operating within 100 km of the capital Addis Ababa. It can be said that the Fano forces currently control the state's economy.

It is reported that Amhara Region is one of the country's main grain-producing areas, mainly growing cereals, pulses and oilseed crops, and is one of Ethiopia's main grain supply regions. However, at present, multiple rural areas in the region are controlled by Fano forces, which affects the transport of grain and other goods in the area, leading to rising prices in the country's capital as well as in the southern regions.

In addition, because the Ethiopian government issued a new foreign exchange policy in July this year, the Ethiopian currency birr has depreciated wildly, and now 1 US dollar exchanges for 121 birr, which has also driven up the prices of imported goods and intensified local price increases.

For Ethiopia's currently important coffee industry, international coffee prices have been high recently, and the depreciation of the birr has made Ethiopian coffee more price-competitive in the international market, which is beneficial to coffee exports. However, coffee producers still face problems such as rising domestic prices and blocked exports.

As a landlocked country, Ethiopia relies heavily on the port of Djibouti, but due to the impact of the Red Sea crisis, the throughput of the port of Djibouti has fallen by 10%, which has greatly affected Ethiopia's exports of coffee and other agricultural products. Although Ethiopia signed an agreement with Somaliland to obtain a new port, it has been unable to implement it due to condemnation and obstruction from Somalia, but recently there has been a turn for the better.

Recently, the results of the regional election in Somaliland were announced. The Ethiopian government and some US officials congratulated Somaliland on the election on social media, so Somaliland has a chance to be recognized by the United States and the international community as an independent country. This will have an impact on Ethiopia and even the entire African country.

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