Uncertain Times
© Michele Spatari / AFP
The Ethiopian Orthodox celebrations of Gena and Timkat have been muted this year in the northwest Ethiopian region of Amhara where conflict has raged for months.
Gena, the Orthodox Christmas, and Timkat, the festival that celebrates the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan river, are central events in the church calendar, attracting pilgrims from all over the country respectively to the cities of Lalibela and Gondar, both UNESCO World Heritage Site.
A sense of dullness marred the celebrations due to unrest and clashes plaguing the wider Amhara region. The conflict in the region sees the Ethiopian National Defense Force battling an ethnic Amhara militia known as 'Fano'. Although these fighters fought alongside federal troops in Tigray in the past, tensions boiled over after Addis Ababa announced in April 2023 that it was dismantling all regional armed forces across Ethiopia.
The Amhara violence reignited concerns about the stability of Ethiopia months after a peace agreement was signed in November 2022 to end the war in Tigray.
