Reuters, ADDIS ABABA, May 23 – Ethiopian police arrested around 4,000 people in the northern Amhara region on Monday, according to local state media, as part of a broader crackdown on militia combatants, critics, and the media.

Gizachew Muluneh, the Amhara regional administration’s spokesperson, and Legesse Tulu, the federal government’s spokesperson, did not immediately respond to calls for comment on the wave of arrests.

According to Amhara state security officer Desalegne Tasew, more than 200 of the suspects are accused of killings and of conducting “illegal actions” in the name of the Fano paramilitary group. The reason for the rest’s detention was unclear.

Tasew provided no evidence to back up his accusations of murder. The statements could not be independently verified by Reuters.

Amhara is Ethiopia’s second-most populous area and a significant supporter of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

When conflict began in northern Tigray in 2020, Amhara forces and the Fano militia backed Abiy’s federal soldiers against dissident forces, but relations between certain prominent Amhara leaders and the central government have subsequently worsened.