Festivities for the Orthodox Christian celebration of epiphany have been muted this year in Gondar, in the northwest Ethiopian region of Amhara where conflict has raged for months. Up to 250,000 people have participated in previous celebrations of Timkat, as epiphany is known in the Amhara language. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church is one of the oldest churches in the world. Those tensions have seen the federal government in Amhara clash with the local “Fano”, a nationalist militia that claims to be fighting for their regional rights. But an attempt last April by the federal government to disarm the Fano and other Amhara forces led to violence.

Source: Ethiopian News January 23, 2024 13:01 UTC