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Like the Oromo region, Benishangul Gumuz is the part of Ethiopia where the Amhara ethnic group experienced recurrent attacks and killings.
borkena
September 16, 2020
The Amhara and Agews ethnic groups in the Benishangul region of Ethiopia had reportedly suffered another round of attacks. It happened this week in the Bulen and Wonbera districts of the region.
The head of the region’s peacebuilding and security office, Abera Bayatta, confirmed to the Ethiopian state media that the attack in the aforementioned places has claimed the lives of innocent citizens, but did not specify the number . It is unclear why authorities were unable to provide information on the number of victims a day after the attack.
The attack was launched by armed groups. Some were armed with firearms such as AK 47s. Others were armed with spears.
DW Amharic said Wednesday that it spoke to a Gilgel Beles area resident, who spoke anonymously due to safety concerns. They said the attackers were armed with heavy weapons.
The informant also claimed that the perpetrators carried out the attack in broad daylight and speculated that they might have ties to government officials in the region. “The attackers change their location as soon as the security forces are deployed in the areas where they carried out the attack,” is the explanation given for the claim about a link with government officials, according to DW Amharic.
Security authorities in the region said Wednesday that an investigation into the security incident was launched this week.
Abara Bayata, head of the Benishangul region security office, told the Ethiopian News Agency that the armed group caused heavy casualties in the Bulen and Wombera districts. She linked the group to opposition parties operating in the region. “The opposition political parties operating in the region provided them with military training,” he said.
In Melkan Kebele district, the armed group detained 36 people and demanded 20,000 Ethiopian birr per person and the detainee had to pay it, Abera told ENA.
The source also said that members of the Defense Force were deployed to the region. An unknown number of attackers are reportedly killed by the joint operation of the security forces and the defense force.
However, security authorities in the region admitted that armed groups have not been eliminated and continue to operate in the region. This may mean another round of attacks against people of Amharan ethnicity and ethnic age living in the region.
Thousands of residents in the districts have been displaced in connection with the latest series of attacks.
There has been a recurring attack against the Amhara ethnic group in the Benishangul region. The most recent was in July 2020, which left at least 14 Ethiopians dead.
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