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. The head of the Bench Sheko area administration described Gura Farda’s attack as “shameful and ruthless”
. There had also been attacks against the Amhara ethnic group during the TPLF-dominated administration.
borkena
October 23, 2020
At least 31 innocent civilians had been brutally massacred this week in the Gura Farda district of the Bench Sheko area in southern Ethiopia. Five other people have reportedly been seriously injured.
As is the case in the Benishangul Gumuz and Oromo region of Ethiopia, the targets of the latest attacks are said to be the Amhara ethnic group who settled in the region for decades.
Hundreds of thousands of ethnic Amhara people in the region have reportedly been displaced following the tragic incident and have hosted refugees in nearby districts such as Biftu.
The area police department had confirmed the killing and the attackers are described as “unidentified gunmen”.
Fikre Aman, head of the administration of the Bench Sheko area, said that “unidentified men opened fire on innocent civilians” on 18 and 21 October. He said the attack was ruthless and shameful.
He also said that 16 suspects are being detained so far, including a police officer and officials at the district and area levels, according to the Bench Media Network, citing the area administration as a source.
The Zone Police Commander, Minalu Tadesse, took a portrait the week before the attack was launched. He said there had been unusual activity since October 16. The attack was coordinated, according to the Commander. But he said the motive for the attack has not been established and the police have launched an investigation into it.
The administration also confirmed that more than 2,600 Gura Farda households are currently sheltering in Biftu and neighboring Kebeles, and displaced people are said to be receiving emergency humanitarian aid.
The Federal Police and the Ethiopian Defense Forces are deployed in the region.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tagese Chafo, together with the Chief of Staff of the Ethiopian Defense Force and the Minister of State of the Ministry of Peace, visited the Bench Sheko Area.
He had a discussion with the residents of the region. “The government will not tolerate those who are working to destabilize the country and disintegrate the unity of the country,” he remarked.
It had become customary for Abiy Ahmed government officials to visit massacre scenes after a tragedy and pledge that “the government would work to solve the problem.”
During the discussion with the neighbors, it was said that the perpetrators of the coordinated attack were “trained and organized groups.” However, it has not been revealed who is behind these forces and where they were trained.
Government cover-ups of attacks on ethnic Amhara people
Since recurring attacks in different parts of Ethiopia, including Benishangul Gumuz and the Oromo region, ethnic Amharas are the main targets of coordinated attacks. However, the government authorities demonstrated their commitment to cover up the nature of the attacks.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government is widely criticized for its continued violent attacks on civilians since taking office in April 2018. When it appeared before parliament on Monday this week, it played down the recurring attacks when it said that “a police Traffic reports on collisions and casualties on a daily basis, but the millions of people who make it home safely are not reported. ”That was his message to his critic.
Why are the attacks targeting only the Amhara ethnic group? Why the attacks are accompanied by property destruction, and why the attack is brutal beyond words are some of the questions some activists are asking.
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