Several witnesses in Ethiopia said today that more than 200 Amhara, a local ethnic group, were killed in an attack in the Ethiopian region of Oromia and blamed a local rebel group, which denied any involvement. If confirmed, it is one of the deadliest attacks in recent times, and as ethnic tensions in Africa’s second most populous country are on the rise.
“I counted 230 bodies. I am afraid it will be the deadliest attack on civilians we have seen so far,” Gimbi region resident Abdul-Seid Tahir told the Associated Press (AP) news agency after escaping Saturday’s massacre.
“We are burying them in mass graves and we are still collecting bodies. The federal army units have already arrived, but we fear that the attacks will continue when they leave,” he added.
Another witness, who only gave his name as Shambel, said the region’s Amhara community is now trying to relocate elsewhere “before more killings happen.” He also said that the Amhara have been living in that area for 30 years following a resettlement program and that now they are being “killed like chickens”.
The two witnesses accused the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) of the attacks. In a statement, the Oromia regional government also blamed the OLA, saying the rebels attacked “after failing to resist the operations of the security forces.” [federais]”.
An OLA spokesman, Odaa Tarbii, denied the allegations. “The attack you are referring to was carried out by the military regime and local militias as they retreated from their camp in Gimbi after our recent offensive,” she said in a message sent to the AP.
Ethiopia has seen an increase in ethnic tensions in several regions, mainly motivated by historical injustices or political conflicts. The Amhara people, the second largest ethnic group among Ethiopia’s more than 110 million people, have been the target of frequent attacks in regions such as Oromia.
The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, appointed by the central government, today appealed to the government of Abiy Ahmed to find a “durable solution” to prevent the death of civilians and protect them from attacks.
Source: Observadora
