{"id":837508,"date":"2026-10-09T12:40:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T16:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mereja.com\/index\/?p=837508"},"modified":"2026-10-31T13:42:02","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T17:42:02","slug":"residents-tell-dw-a-student-and-a-deacon-were-killed-in-menz-fighting-as-fano-says-it-shot-down-a-govt-drone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.com\/index\/837508","title":{"rendered":"Residents tell DW a student and a deacon were killed in Menz fighting"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Wreckage<\/p>\n

Wreckage of a drone marked S-355, in a photo posted on X by AfriMEOSINT on October 9, 2026, which said the drone was reportedly launched by the ENDF and brought down by Fano. Mulugeta Anberber of Ethio 251 Media said it came down in Menz. Mereja Media could not independently verify where or when the photo was taken. (Photo: AfriMEOSINT via X)<\/em><\/p>\n

Residents of Mehal Meda told DW Amharic that a ninth-grade student and a deacon were among the people killed in fighting between federal forces and Fano in the Menz area of Shewa this week.<\/p>\n

DW Amharic reported on Thursday that residents of Mehal Meda, Zemero and Molale described heavy fighting on Wednesday and said civilians had been killed and hurt, while Mulugeta Anberber of Ethio 251 Media and other accounts on X said on Friday that Fano fighters had brought down a government drone in Menz. The Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF), the federal Gov’t and the Amhara regional administration had not commented on the fighting by Friday morning, and DW said its efforts to reach local officials were not successful.<\/p>\n

The clashes took place on the day that residents told Mereja Media the Shewa Fano Asaminew Command had captured Mehal Meda, Wegere, Zemero, Mida and Jihur. A resident of Zemero, who asked DW not to be named, said the fighting reached all four parts of the area known as Menz. “Yesterday in Menz the whole day was an invasion,” the resident said. “Menz Keya and Menz Mehal Meda were a bit worse. Many lives were lost.”<\/p>\n

A resident of Mehal Meda told DW that the fighting began at about 5 in the morning and that armed fighters entered the town at about 10 AM, and that the clashes had not stopped. “A war between two brothers is hard,” the resident said. “Our Ethiopian blood is one, and because both have one blood, it was a big war.”<\/p>\n

Residents told DW that two civilians died in Mehal Meda, one of them a ninth-grade student. Another resident said civilians were not targeted on purpose but were hit by stray bullets. “How many died? One, two, about three people. One ninth-grade student died. A deacon died,” the resident said, adding that the town had since gone quiet. One resident said people were too afraid to go outside to see who had been hurt. “Earlier people were crying out, and now you do not know who is who. You do not go out because you fear for yourself, but there is mourning, and we hear it outside,” the resident said. Another person told DW that there was news of death “everywhere” and that “there is no number.” DW also reported that residents of Mekane Selam, a town in South Wollo that has seen recent fighting, heard heavy weapons fire early on Wednesday from the town toward the countryside, and that the town was calm afterwards.<\/p>\n

Fano has fought federal forces in the Amhara region since 2023. The new fighting in Shewa comes as the federal army is also fighting in Tigray.<\/p>\n

Sources:<\/strong><\/p>\n