Days after the Ethiopian Minister made claims that his government has been negotiating with Fano and OLF-Shane group, both groups are remarking that there is no ongoing negotiation.
Solomon Atena, Commander of Atsewochu Division of Fano in Gondar, spoke to Ethiopian Media Service (EMS) via phone on Saturday.
“We do not know and have not heard anything as to with whom they are negotiating,” he said, rejecting the Prime Minister’s claim as lies.
Then he made speculation that Abiy Ahmed might be having talks with the group that his government organized under Fano name – a group that has been engaged in robbery and abduction.
Furthermore, Fano Solomon Atena underscored that Fano is in an armed struggle to reverse the existential threat that Amhara people faced and that it is eyeing an end to Abiy Ahmed administration.
There have been accusations that the Abiy Ahmed administration organized thugs in many areas in the Amhara region under the name Fano with the aim to tarnish Fano forces reputation and deny the group the popular support it is enjoying in the region and beyond.
OLA response
The Militant ethnic Oromo Nationalist group – Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) – has responded to Abiy’s claim of ongoing negotiation. In a brief update shared on social media, the Organization said :
“There are no ongoing talks between the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) and the Ethiopian government. Ethiopian authorities disseminate misinformation as frequently as they breathe air. This should be obvious to all at this point. The OLA remains committed to genuine dialogue that addresses systemic problems that permeate the country’s security and political crisis.”
Following the Pretoria agreement with the TPLF, Abiy Ahmed secretly held negotiations with OLA in Tanzania but it was later made public. The two rounds of talks ended without an agreement. There was an anticipated third round of talks – which Defense Chief of Staff FM Berhanu Jula said it will be the last one.
Like the accusations in the Amhara region, there have been accusations that the government has created its own version of the OLA -Shane group. In a statement released last month, OLA itself made claims that the government is indeed using its own armed group organized under OLF Shane – and it was engaged in kidnappings and killings of civilians.
