Our people, who stand as the backbone of this struggle, have repeatedly demanded unity, and today that demand has been fulfilled.

Translated from Amharic into English Version ( by Eyob Tilahun)

Today, on January 17, 2026, we, Amhara Fano organisations, have made a historic decision to block the valley from which the Prosperity Party group is destabilising Ethiopia and the region, drawing its lifeblood.’’

We, the leaders of the Amhara Fano organisations, whose duty it is to carry out a mission worthy of the sacrifices paid by our comrades to bury the political life of bloody Abiy Ahmed’s rule through our complete brotherhood and unified struggle.

To achieve unity in the Amhara struggle, the leaders of the Amhara Fano National Force and the Amhara Fano Popular Organisation have made a bold and historic decision. This decision requires courage, open-mindedness, determination, and loyalty to the people, and ultimately, they have succeeded in making Fano unity a reality.

Congratulations to the entire Amhara people and to all Ethiopians. We have established one head leader and one organisation. Now, the chapter that will take us toward our strategic objective has fully opened. Both the battlefield and the horse are now in our hands.

Like many of the ancient civilisations of the world, the Amhara people, who possess a glorious and continuous historical legacy, and our country, Ethiopia, have endured centuries—particularly since the medieval era—of conflicts caused by wars between different civilisations.

In our modern history, the consecutive campaigns that have directly targeted the Amhara people, aided by our own internal weaknesses and by regimes of victors that did not properly include all peoples, have turned our country into an unstable state on the brink of collapse, and have exposed our people to the gravest danger of extinction.

It has taken intensive effort to understand this complex national and popular danger, led by our own Ethiopian compatriots both as agents and collaborators, and to build up a common understanding and solutions.

The Amhara people, by neglecting themselves and prioritising their country, failed to understand in time the great contradiction created against them and their nation. As a result, they now find themselves stripped of their homeland, stateless, and facing a government-led campaign of ethnic extermination.

Indeed, the Amhara are a people on the verge of destruction. To reverse this existential threat and to secure the comprehensive interests of our people, and build a new civilisation that the people of Ethiopia enjoy, we are engaged in launching a new Amhara revolution.

Although the immediate cause of this public anger is the existential danger, beyond survival, this struggle has built a grand vision with national, regional, and global aspirations.

The new Amhara intellectual current’s self-destructive thinking and culture, our people’s political apathy and self-exclusion, the tendency to turn against our own people in dependency, the emergence of an unorganized and untrustworthy political community, and elites shaped according to the interests of our enemies who hold power and prevent Amhara organization, have exposed us as a people to the danger of annihilation.

Rising to reverse this threat and reclaim our ability to organise ourselves independently after decades of loss, we have been able to engage in the struggle that will save us from destruction.

The struggle has become firmly rooted in the ground through a popular ideology and organisation. However, the internal decay within our society has highly challenged the struggle’s ability to grow quickly and lead us toward strategic victory.

Our enemies have repeatedly tried to undermine our national unity by infiltrating divisions from within. Yet the new generation, driven by complete national determination, has heroically confronted and overcome these challenges. Through this, they have achieved organisational unity and ensured popular victory by transcending differences.

In recent times, the victories achieved through decentralised organisation and through the sacrifice of life have dismantled the regime’s main source of power—the national defence forces—reducing the regime to a mere gang in Arat Kilo.

The decentralised tactics used by the struggle have weakened the regime in a short time to a point from which it cannot recover. We have turned the regime’s generals into mere mouthpieces, stripped of their military authority.

Since the first phase of the struggle has ended in victory and the regime’s army has collapsed, Fano must now grow into a successor army and organise the political struggle.

For this reason, repeated efforts have been made to create one Fano organisation. Although the development of the struggle itself played a role, the main obstacles were internal contradictions, divisive interest groups, and poisonous enemy interference.

Overcoming both internal and external problems, today, on this blessed day, the ribbon of unity has been cut. Fano has united under a single chain of command. Once again, congratulations.

With this organisational unity, the Amhara struggle has defeated the old and corrupt, self-destructive and divisive ideologies and alignments. It has answered the long-standing demand for unity from both the fighters and the people. It has corrected the negative and mistaken perceptions regarding Amhara unity.

Today, the Amhara Fano National Movement (AFNM) has been officially established, correcting the weaknesses and gaps seen during previous attempts at organisational unity, and ensuring the participation and trust of all stakeholders.

This unified organisation is founded on unity of purpose and ideology. The ideology guiding our organisation is Amhara Nationalism, which, from winning the current existential struggle to permanently guaranteeing our people’s survival, identity, rights, and interests, will serve as our guiding framework.

Amhara nationalism aims to build our internal capacity with self-reliance and to secure the existence, rights, and interests of our people within a framework of national democratic unity, while ensuring a system where the collective and individual rights of all Ethiopians are respected, and peaceful coexistence and national continuity are guaranteed.

The formation process, which took many days of deep political discussions grounded in sincerity and brotherhood, has passed through several stages.

The process that began with the signing of the memorandum of understanding has now been completed by approving the organisation’s founding document and appointing the top leadership of the movement.

Accordingly, the following leaders have been appointed:

Arbegna Zemene Kassie – Chairperson of the Amhara Fano National Movement, Arbegna Meketaw Mamo – Deputy Chairperson, Arbegna Habtie Wolde – Deputy Chairperson for Military Affairs, Arbegna Henok Adise – Deputy Chairperson for Political Affairs

Additionally, the following leadership positions have been assigned:

Military Commander–Brigadier General Tefera Mamo, Deputy Military Commander–Arbegna Mire Wodajo, Deputy for Military Administration Arbegna Zinabu Lingerew, Military Training Directorate: Arbegna Samuel Bale’edl, Special Operations: Arbegna Dirsan Birhane, Campaign Directorate –Arbegna Bayu Alebachew, Political Directorate–Arbegna Geta Asrada, Organisation Directorate–Arbegna Mintesinot Wondaferahu, Headquarters Office – Arbegna Aschalew Belete, Public Relations – Arbegna Asres Mare Damte, Civil Administration Directorate – Arbegna Zemene Mihret, Finance and Procurement – Arbegna Ashagre Baye, Policy and Strategy – Arbegna Eskinder Nega, Partnerships and Cooperation – Arbegna Abebe Fentaw, Foreign Affairs Directorate – Arbegna Biruk Sileshi

On this historic day, the Amhara Fano National Movement delivers the following messages:

Message to our fighters:

The long-standing call for organisational unity—essential to ensuring that the sacrifices made in this struggle bear fruit and lead to full victory—has now been answered. Fano unity has been achieved. We call you to continue the battle with renewed determination and strength. We also urge you to confront internal challenges in a democratic and disciplined manner and to cooperate sincerely as new structural and operational improvements are implemented. At every level, you are reminded to maintain full readiness for upcoming missions.

Message to our people:

Our people, who stand as the backbone of this struggle, have repeatedly demanded unity, and today that demand has been fulfilled. We thank you for the historic national role you have played with patience and commitment. We urge you to continue strengthening the struggle by organising locally according to the realities of your areas and by supporting the movement.

Message to the Amhara diaspora:

We recognise that, although the diaspora was highly engaged at the start of this struggle, its participation declined over time due to differences in perspective and the absence of organisational unity. Today, that unity has been realised. We therefore congratulate you and call on you to fully re-engage in this new phase. Beyond strengthening your unity, we urge you to faithfully implement the directions and guidance issued by our organisation to be discharged.

Message to other anti-regime national forces and communities:

Given the current condition of our country, we believe that no Ethiopian is free from existential danger. Ethiopia now stands at the edge of collapse. The Fano struggle is therefore not only vital for the survival of the Amhara people but also for the political recovery of all Ethiopians. The victory of the Amhara will be a victory for the Gurage, Tigray, Oromo, Gumuz, Afar, Somali, Wolayta, Sidama, Gamo, and all other peoples. We call on all political groups and leaders to stand together in a common cause, for remaining neutral will only invite further destruction.

Abiy Ahmed’s regime has become a destabilising force in the Horn of Africa, harming all peoples and threatening regional stability. For this reason, we call not only on Ethiopians but also on regional forces to cooperate in removing this destructive regime. Strengthening unity and transforming our struggle from defensive resistance to strategic action is now essential.

Message to the international community:

For nearly eight years, the Prosperity Party regime led by Abiy Ahmed has carried out mass atrocities against the people of Ethiopia. The regime has plunged the country into continuous war, resulting in widespread humanitarian devastation, economic decline, and social collapse. It has also declared a genocidal war against the Amhara people, leaving Fano and other national resistance forces with no choice but to defend their communities.

We call upon the international community to stop supporting this anti-people and anti-peace regime and to apply meaningful pressure that limits its capacity for destruction. We also urge humanitarian organisations to expand aid to the affected population. Our movement stands ready to cooperate in these efforts.

Message to soldiers and militias fighting for the regime:

You know well that the regime survives not through the support of the people, but through your blood and sacrifice. Yet the regime shows no regard for your lives. The Fano seeks to build a country where all Ethiopians can live with dignity and where their service and sacrifice would have true meaning. We therefore call upon you to join the Fano struggle. Our full organisational structure is prepared to welcome you.

Finally, the Amhara Fano National Movement expresses deep gratitude to all who contributed to the success of this unification:

We thank the Amhara people and Ethiopian patriots for their unwavering support and guidance.

We thank all Fano members whose persistence and unity-driven determination made this historic moment possible.

We extend special appreciation to the leadership of both organisations for their courage and commitment throughout the unification process.

We also honour the technical committees and observers whose leadership, wisdom, and impartial contributions guaranteed this achievement.

As we have united through sacrifice, we now call upon all stakeholders to play a constructive role in sustaining and strengthening this unified organisation for the future.