Banking services have been suspended in several districts of the North Showa Zone in the Amhara region, areas currently controlled by the Fano forces and described as rugged.
This suspension marks a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between Fano militants and government security forces, a war that has been ongoing for over a year following the federal government’s decision to reorganize the regional special forces.
As a result of the conflict, the region was under a state of emergency for ten months. Although this state of emergency officially expired on June 6, 2024, the area continues to be managed by a command post, according to local residents.
Despite the official end of the state of emergency, banking services have been disrupted in several districts of the North Showa Zone since last week.
Wazema Radio reported that the districts of Menz Lalo, Geshe Rabel, Antsokia Gemza, and Kewet are among those affected by the suspension of banking services.
Information from district bank branches indicates that both public and private banks have been forced to halt their operations in these areas.
The banking services in these districts have been suspended since Friday, June 14, 2024.
As of the time of writing, banks in Menz Lalo District’s Wegere Town, Geshe Rabel District’s Rabel Town, Antsokia Gemza District’s Mekuay Town, and Kewet District’s Rasa Town remain closed.
Bank employees, including those from the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia and various private banks, stated that they received an emergency order from the government to cease operations. This order reportedly came from the command post overseeing the Shoa area.
The suspension follows a recent incident in the North Showa Zone’s Midawremo District, where the District Government Communication reported that organized militants entered a bank and seized 2.3 million birr from the Rema Branch of the Ethiopian Commercial Bank.
In a related development, the United Nations Human Rights Commission, in its report on human rights violations in Ethiopia, noted that 70 percent of the abuses in the Amhara and Oromia regions were committed by government security forces.
The report highlighted that from August to December of last year, 248 innocent civilians were killed in drone attacks carried out by the government, with public facilities such as schools and hospitals also being destroyed.
Overall, the commission reported 594 human rights violations in Ethiopia, with 70 percent attributed to the government and 22 percent to conflict participants.
