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Zemene Kassie (Amharic: ዘመነ ካሴ) is an Ethiopian rebel commander and populist figure who is the leader of Gojjam faction of the Fano militia.[1][2][3]
Zemene Kassie | |
|---|---|
| ዘመነ ካሴ | |
| Born | |
| Alma mater | Haramaya University |
| Title | President of Amhara Region Youth League |
| Political party | Ginbot 7 |
| Movement | Fano |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  Fano |
| Years of service | 2018–present |
| Commands | Gojjam Fano |
| Battles / wars | Tigray War War in Amhara |
Born in Merawi, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, Zemene previously worked in various government positions in the mid-2000s. Following the 2005 Ethiopian general election, he was forced into exile to Eritrea and joined the Ginbot 7 opposition group in order to counter EPRDF government persecution. He then returned to Ethiopia in 2018 after premiership of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, and worked in various key positions in Amhara Region. He resigned from the office after the 2019 Amhara Region coup attempt.
Zemene organized a Fano faction under the banner of Amhara Popular Force during the Tigray War when Tigrayan rebel forces invaded the Amhara region in mid-2021. It was during the Tigray War that he rose to prominence as a leading figure in the Fano militia.
Zemene was born in Merawi, Bahir Dar in North Gojjam Zone, Ethiopia. He acquired his degree at Haramaya University and worked with various government posts as a professional and manager; he was named as President of Amhara Region Youth League.[4] After the 2005 general election, Zemene moved to Eritrea to join the Ginbot 7 party and was the main coordinator of armed struggle against the EPRDF government. When Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power in 2018, Zemene returned to Ethiopia. He was shortly given government positions in Amhara Region administration. Zemene had served as advisor to the Prime Minister Office in the regional issues but later resigned in 2019 following Amhara region coup attempt on 22 June.[4]
Zemene gained mainstream recognition after the start of Tigray War in 2020, as a leading figure of the Fano militia. During the incursion of Tigrayan forces in Amhara, he established a Fano faction, Amhara Popular Force, and became its leader. As Tigrayan rebels failed to enter Gojjam, his faction engaged to counter the rebel advance in Western Wollo along with Ethiopian government forces.[4] Zemene was once imprisoned by Bahir Dar police in allegation of killing of a police officer on 11 September 2022. Mulan Tadese, his legal mentor, confirmed that Zemene was released from Bahir Dar prison on 3 June 2023, where the verdict raised a question on absolving his release about the validity of evidence against him. Zemene was used to hiding from government authority amidst crackdowns against Fano members, who alleged that Fano would brought violence and destabilization in the region. In June 2022, Zemene commented the ongoing situation of Tigray War in an interview that "there are thousands of Fano militants presently under my control, and shortly they will shift into millions. We don’t believe the Amhara police forces or the federal army as opposing. But some individuals belong to the Fano who do."[5]
Following the outbreak of the War in Amhara, Zemene re-emerged and aligned with the other Fano factions to fight the Ethiopian government.
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