Hundreds killed in alleged ethnic attack in Ethiopia’s Oromia region

By Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) - Hundreds of people in Ethiopia’s Oromia region have been killed by gunmen in one of the deadliest attacks ever recorded in the area, local media outlets and eyewitnesses said Sunday.

“Only civilians have been killed…Gunmen have been killing a section of the people while sparing others. We are not sure if it is an ethnic attack or not, but we are very afraid. Others claim they are only targeting people from the Amhara community,” a local businessman from Gimbi county who spoke on condition of anonymity told Anadolu Agency.

The Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) has been accused of carrying out the attack. But Oda Turbi, a spokesman for the OLA, denied this on his Twitter account, saying that rebels were responsible.

“The killings and property destruction that occurred in Tole, Gimbi district were committed by the ‘Gaachana Sirna,’ (a) militia created by Oromia state itself,” Turbi said.

Locals have taken to social media, where they have provided few details on the attack, while the Ethiopian government is yet to issue a statement.

Ethnic tensions along with crimes against humanity have been reported across Ethiopia by human rights organizations, according to a report released last week by Human Rights Watch (HRW) titled “Ethiopia’s Invisible Ethnic Cleansing.”

HRW has urged the African Union’s Peace and Security Council and the UN Security Council to address the crisis in Ethiopia to protect vulnerable populations and prevent mass atrocities.​​​​​​​