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Transcript/ScriptPLAYBOOK SLUG: CX ETHIOPIA AMHARA FIGHTING
HEADLINE: Ethiopia: Fighting Breaks Out in Amhara Despite 'Humanitarian Ceasefire'
TEASER: Recurrent battles have ravaged Amhara for months – residents now tell VOA they just want peace
PUBLISHED AT: Sunday, 05/01/2022 at
BYLINE: Henry Wilkins
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Shewa Robit, Ethiopia
VIDEOGRAPHER: Henry Wilkins
VIDEO EDITOR: Bakhtiyar Zamanov
SCRIPT EDITORS: cobus, Holly Franko, DJ OK, Salem Solomon, pcd
VIDEO SOURCES: VOA, ZOOM,
PLATFORMS: WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO _X_
TRT: 3:27
VID APPROVED BY: pcd
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES: corrects spelling of Kiram Tadesse in chyron))
((INTRO))
[[Ethiopia's declared cease-fire with Tigrayan rebels in March raised hopes for possible peace talks to end the deadly 15-month war. While some northern areas of the Amhara region saw a brief return to peace, renewed fighting has left desperate civilians waiting for the bloodshed to end. Henry Wilkins reports from Shewa Robit, Ethiopia.]]
((VIDEO-VOA: IMAGES OF BURNED-OUT MILITARY VEHICLES - various, IMAGES OF AMHARAN LANDSCAPES AND TOWNS - various))
((NARRATOR))
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced a humanitarian cease-fire five weeks ago, but it is already beginning to fray. In the northern region of Amhara, fighting had subsided. But, last week, it erupted again.
VOA spoke to witnesses who got caught up in the fighting when militants from the Fano militia group, on the border of the Oromia zone, in Amhara, allegedly opened fire on civilians close to the town of Shewa Robit.
((Wendowessen Mamo, Witness (male in Amharic) ))
“I was three kilometers away when the conflict erupted. Molale, the epicenter of the conflict, is almost burned to the ground like Ataye town was, where three such ethnic-based conflicts happened in the space of a year.”
((VOA-VIDEO: IMAGES OF AMHARAN LANDSCAPES - various))
((NARRATOR))
The hills of Amhara have been the scene of fighting between government forces and Tigray People's Liberation Front and militia groups for months.
((Henry Wilkins, VOA News (in English) )) ((Standup))
“People here have had their homes destroyed, their relatives killed, and their lives upended. Most people I've spoken to say they just want to see peace now.”
((NARRATOR)) ((without standup))
People here have had their homes destroyed, their relatives killed, and their lives upended. Most people say they just want to see peace now.
((VOA-VIDEO: ESTABLISHING SHOTS OF VICTIM - various))
((NARRATOR))
Not least Demeku Ali Abdu, who says her son was taken and killed after TPLF troops occupied her house last year.
((Demeku Ali Abdu, Mother of Slain Son (female in Amharic))
“When I confirmed my child's death, I felt so alone. I felt bereft for my future. And also, I thought about his two children growing up without a father. I hate to live without him.”
((VIDEO SHOWING TIGRAYANS BEFORE BEING SHOT, VIDEO - VOA: ESTABLISHING SHOTS OF VICTIM - various, ESTABLISHING SHOTS OF MILITIAMAN - various))
((NARRATOR))
Both sides in the Ethiopian civil war have been accused of human rights abuses. These images provided by rights organizations show government forces just before they execute a group of Tigrayans.
Ahmed Mohammed Seid, part of a local militia who fought to push the TPLF out of his hometown, also hopes the fighting has finally ended for good.
((Ahmed Mohammed Seid, Local Militia Fighter (male in Amharic)))
“l hope such conflict will never come back again. All parties have learned lessons, and I hope every person strives for the prevalence of peace.”
((VIDEO-VOA: ESTABLISHING SHOTS OF SPOKESPERSON - various))
((NARRATOR))
However, a spokesperson for the local government said the presence of the TPLF in Amhara has emboldened other militant groups.
((Jemal Hassen, Oromo Special Zone Government Spokesperson (male in Arhamic)))
“In the special Oromo zone, both forces have a common goal or target. Their marriage seems to have become more concrete as they have common agendas of dismantling the state apparatus and retaking control of politics.”
The special Oromo zone is an enclave of ethnic Oromos surrounded by the Amhara region.
((VIDEO-VOA: IMAGES OF BURNED-OUT MILITARY VEHICLES - various, IMAGES OF AMHARAN LANDSCAPES AND TOWNS - various)).
((NARRATOR))
In January, Abiy announced a national dialogue with the aim of bringing peace to the country, but the initiative has been criticized for failing to include many of the factions engaged in conflict, including the TPLF.
((Kiram Tadesse, Ethiopian Analyst (male in English))) ((Mandatory Courtesy: Zoom))
“There was optimism from all parties involved. Divergence has also started to emerge among these opposing parties, especially among those that are not included, and its credibility has been questioned.”
((VIDEO-VOA: SHOTS OF MILITIAMAN WALKING INTO DISTANCE - various))
((NARRATOR))
Given the renewed fighting in this area of Amhara, at least, residents’ hopes for peace might not be realized.
((Henry Wilkins for VOA News, Shewa Robit, Ethiopia))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)Shewa Robit, Ethiopia
BylineHenry Wilkins
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
