Ethiopia’s Bahir Dar Rally Draws Support for National Defense Force

What changed

Tens of thousands rallied in Bahir Dar, the capital of Ethiopia’s Amhara Region, on October 27 to support the Ethiopian National Defense Force and other security agencies.

Residents from the city and surrounding areas joined government employees, regional officials, religious leaders, women, young people and elders. Speakers backed the military’s role in protecting national sovereignty, public security and unity, and linked that support to Ethiopia’s ambition to move “from the dam to the port.”

Why it matters

The rally shows how military support is being presented as part of a wider national project, not only as a security message. Participants connected solidarity with the ENDF to government efforts to establish peace, resist threats to national unity and pursue economic development through reliable maritime access.

Bahir Dar’s First Deputy Mayor, Goshu Endalamaw, said the ENDF had earned public backing through its record and sacrifices. His message was direct: the military should see the city as standing behind it while it carries out its national responsibilities.

The demonstration also fits into a wider wave of pro-ENDF rallies across Amhara and other regional states during the past week. That gives the gatherings political weight, even though the attendance figure and the representativeness of public sentiment have not been independently verified.