The Amhara Fano National Movement (AFABN) says 714 fighters have completed a three-month military training programme as the armed group seeks to strengthen its forces in the region.
The fighters graduated on September 4 at a ceremony organised by the 81st Wubante Abate Division of AFABN’s 303rd Asaminew Core Wing, according to a statement released by the group.
AFABN said the trainees had undergone three consecutive months of training beginning in June 2018 in the Ethiopian calendar.
Senior officials from AFABN, the Menelik First Command and the 303rd Asaminew Core Wing attended the graduation ceremony, the statement said.
Leaders at the event described the completion of the training as the start of a new phase of responsibility and urged the graduates to maintain military discipline as they pursued the movement’s objectives.
AFABN said the training was part of its wider struggle against the Ethiopian government, which it accused of subjecting the Amhara population to political repression and insecurity.
Fano Commands Pledge Cooperation
Representatives of the 206th Command of the Dessie-Kor-Ras-Gayint Special Shooter Division also attended the ceremony and congratulated the graduates.
According to AFABN, the representatives reaffirmed their commitment to cooperation among Fano commands, saying coordination would continue in the future.
The commander of the 81st Wubante Abate Division, Commando Aman Gobeze, and other leaders thanked residents of Meqet Woreda for their support in organising the graduation ceremony.
AFABN said the graduates had received both physical and mental training and urged them to apply their skills as part of what it described as a broader struggle for the rights and security of the Amhara people.
The group said its ultimate objectives were victory and freedom and called for continued unity among Fano forces.
AFABN’s claims could not be independently verified.
