Doctors in Bahir Dar, the capital of Ethiopia’s Amhara region, have told the BBC that recent violence between local militias and government forces has resulted in the deaths of a significant number of people.
A five-month-old newborn and elderly adults were among the casualties, according to a doctor at the city’s primary hospital.
Locals claimed that a militia had taken over a prison and freed the prisoners.
Since the government declared in April that it was eliminating regional forces throughout Ethiopia, Amhara nationalists have been protesting the action, claiming it would weaken their area.
In a statement on Tuesday, the government noted that while steps were being done to rid the two largest cities, Bahir Dar and Gondar, of militias, there was generally peace in several areas of the region.
Ethiopian Airlines has declared a three-day flight suspension to four airports in the area, including Bahirdar and Gondar.