Rare photographs of Fanno fighters have been featured in today’s edition of the French newspaper Libération. Captured by photojournalist Robin Tutenges, these images offer a unique glimpse into the lives and struggles of the Fanno fighters—a story often overlooked by mainstream media. In May, Tutenges climbed into the mountains of the northwestern part of the country to document the guerrilla fighters—their training camps, wounded comrades, and young recruits. Among those featured are two young girls, Asefg and Ayehy, photographed in North Wollo.

The photos are accompanied by an article written by Libération journalist Céline Macé, which explains the background of the Fanno movement that has been fighting the federal government for the past two years. Together, the images and reporting bring context to the ongoing conflict, capturing its intensity and the resilience of those involved. “I come from a village 30 kilometers from here. There, one of my 22-year-old friends was kidnapped, then raped by the military, before being thrown into the street,” Ayehy recounted. “At that moment, I realized that I had no choice but to fight. Not just to protect myself, but to protect the girls in my region and to defend my people.”
The widespread abuses and war crimes committed by the Ethiopian army have become one of the main drivers behind the recruitment of the Fanno, says the paper.

“The federal army has launched a new offensive over the past ten days in the rugged region of North Wollo, where Robin Tutenges took the photographs. It is making heavy use of armed drones—acquired during the Tigray war—to bomb rebel-held areas, often indiscriminately. Ethiopian forces recently regained control of the town of Bilbala, a key stronghold of the guerrilla fighters,” the article reports.

“The Fanno no longer holds any major urban centers. However, they continue to control vast rural areas, establish checkpoints along key roads, and carry out ambushes and targeted attacks against the Ethiopian army, Libération reported. In the Amhara region—home to 23 million people—3,600 schools remain closed. According to Médecins Sans Frontières, ‘the ongoing conflict has severely affected the region’s already fragile healthcare system,’ with many facilities facing ‘shortages of essential medicines,’ the paper added.”