The head of Ethiopia's violence-stricken region of Amhara, which the federal government has placed under a state of emergency, has stepped down, according to an official statement reported Friday.
Amhara's parliament "has accepted the resignation submitted by the regional president, Dr. Yilkal Kefale, and appointed Arega Kebede in replacement," the body said in a statement reported by the official Amhara Media Corporation.
The resignation on Wednesday came after the legislature, known as the Regional Council, discussed "the region's current security situation", it said.
"After the discussion a consensus agreement was reached (on the need) for consistent reform," it said.
Tigray war
Tension in the northern region ratcheted up this year after the end of a devastating war in the neighbouring region of Tigray that also drew in fighters from Amhara.
In April the federal government announced it was dismantling regional forces across the country.
The move triggered protests by Amhara nationalists who said it would weaken their region.
Clashes erupted in early July between the national army and local fighters, prompting the authorities in Addis Aba ba on August 4 to declare a six-month state of emergency.
Diversity headache
A mosaic of more than 80 ethno-linguistic communities, Ethiopia has long struggled to manage the diversity within its borders.
It is structured as a federal republic, comprising nine regional states that are arranged on ethnic and linguistic lines, and two administrative councils, which includes Addis Ababa.
The Amhara region is inhabited mostly by the Amhara people, the country's second most populous ethnic group.
The Regional Council, which is dominated by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's Prosperity Party, had appointed Yilkal in October 2021. His successor is a relative unknown on the political scene.
