Massacres, war fuel ethnic fervour in Ethiopia's Amhara
Tesfahun Sisay, a day labourer in construction, wears a shirt depicting former Amhara police commissioner Asaminew Tsige, in the village of Wereb Michael. Ethiopia is divided into regions along ethnic and linguistic lines, and Amhara is one of the most proud and powerful. PHOTO | AFP
The people of Amhara, Ethiopia's second largest region by population, have been caught up in cycles of ethnically motivated massacres in recent years.
As recently as April, around 100 people were slaughtered in Ataye, a town in Amhara surrounded by ethnic Oromo settlements.
Such violence both within and beyond Amhara has spurred fears of widespread ethnic-based persecution, and warnings from Amhara political leaders of a genocide against their group.
