Amhara

Amhara region hosts an insurgency that has defied federal military efforts since July 2023, when the Fano militia launched armed operations against government security forces. A six-month state of emergency was declared and extended until June 2024; even after it lapsed, a de facto military command still administers much of the region. The conflict has contributed to Ethiopia's 4.2 million internally displaced persons and strained the central government's capacity to maintain order across multiple fronts.

The region's agricultural economy produces pulses—chickpeas, lentils, and fava beans—that farmers rotate with cereals and export to India, the Middle East, and Europe. This pulse production represents Ethiopia's second-tier agricultural export after coffee, but the insurgency disrupts cultivation and market access. Amhara also contributes to coffee production, though not at Oromia's scale, creating diversified but vulnerable rural livelihoods.

Amhara demonstrates how ethnic federalism can fragment national cohesion when regional identities mobilize against central authority. The Fano movement draws on Amhara nationalism and grievances over territorial disputes, particularly regarding areas annexed by Tigray. Unlike the formal TPLF structure in Tigray, Fano operates as a decentralized militia network that federal forces struggle to suppress. The region's instability threatens Ethiopia's agricultural exports and international investment climate even as the government claims progress toward national reconciliation.