An over 250 regime soldiers deserted the army in Sanja, Amhara region
following a brief gun battle with local farmers. A source who spoke to ESAT
on the phone said some of them have actually surrendered during the fight
with the farmers. The soldiers deserted with dozens of artilleries and
medium range rifles and have now sided with the locals who are fighting the
TPLF forces.
The regime in the last two days have sent over 2000 soldiers and Agazi
Special Forces to the Amhara region; but their journey came to an abrupt
stop at Checheho, Gaint where locals demolished a bridge, halting the
movement of the troops further into Gojam and Gondar where over 200 people
were killed by the TPLF forces in the last few weeks of uprising.
In Metema, a border town with the Sudan, several houses belonging to
officials and spies of the regime were set on fire. At least 10 people were
killed and 20 others injured as regime forces shot indiscriminately at
protesters.
In Debark, Gondar, 4 people were killed and 17 injured by TPLF soldiers who
went on a revenge attack against protesters who on Monday set on fire a
truck loaded with flour and oil heading to Tigray. On Wednesday, following
a burial for the deceased, protesters set ablaze the houses of the mayor,
the security chief as well as others who took part in beating protesters.
In the town of Gondar, 21,000 students of Gondar University left the campus
and went home quitting classes for the rest of the semester in protest for
the killing of two students by the regime and to show solidarity with the
people of Gondar.
In Amba Giorgis, a town which saw the brutality of TPLF forces this week, a
mother searching for her lost child was shot and killed in the street,
igniting a gun battle between the militia and police on one side and the
local farmers on the other. Eight police and 12 farmers were found injured
after the dust settled in Amba Giorgis.
In Bahir Dar, farmers, whose land was given to foreign companies by the
regime, set two horticultural farms and machineries on fire. There was an
eerie of silence one minute and deafening gun shots in another in Bahir Dar
on Wednesday where residents generally continued their stay-at-home
protests.
Debre Markos, a town that is completely besieged by regime forces,
residents have begun a five day stay-at-home protest.
Several towns and villages in the Amhara region have removed local
administrations which were accountable to the regime and replaced them with
interim administrations run by religious leaders and other respected
members of the community.
Received on Thu Sep 01 2016 - 09:23:10 EDT