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Protests and deadly clashes ignited in Ethiopia’s northern Amhara region this week after the central government announced plans to disarm regional forces across the country, a move that many residents fear will lead to the loss of territory and potential ethnic attacks, the Washington Post reported.

At least four people were killed in the town of Kobo following clashes between federal security forces and a civilian Amhara militia known as Fano. The death toll included two Ethiopian aid workers with the Catholic Relief Service.

The unrest began after the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed proposed plans to integrate Ethiopia’s regional forces into the federal army.

Ethiopia has 11 federal regions, each with its own security force. But over the years, these armed groups have grown powerful enough to pose a threat to the central government and have also been accused of human rights abuses.

The move comes at a challenging point for Abiy, who has been struggling to control a rise in ethnically based political movements that could threaten the integrity of Africa’s second-most-populous nation.

In November, the federal government signed a peace agreement with rebels from the northern Tigray region following a two-year civil war that killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions.

Following the government’s integration proposal, protests erupted in Amhara where some leaders also lamented that the Tigray peace deal could force them to give up the land they seized during the civil conflict.

These rich farmland areas are claimed by both Amhara and Tigray but are now under Amhara control.