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Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: A security official in Ethiopia’s western Benishangul-Gumuz region says an attack this week killed 14 civilians and the security forces killed 14 militia members.
This is the latest deadly attack by militias in the region. Two previous attacks in recent weeks reportedly killed several dozen people.
The region’s security chief, Gashu Dugaz, confirmed the new attack in Dangur district and said eight people were receiving medical attention for injuries.
He said one of the victims was a foreigner, but did not elaborate.
In a statement Thursday, Gashu said that two attackers were captured alive and five Kalashnikovs.
Ethiopian troops and members of the federal and regional police are currently deployed in the region near the huge Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
Some parts of the region are under a military command post after the attacks.
A Dangur Woreda resident, Abinet Tezaw, told The Associated Press that ethnic minorities in the region, Amhara and Agaws, were the target and people fear the attacks will continue. “We don’t know when they will attack next,” he said.
In September, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission said it was deeply alarmed by the increase in attacks against civilians in the Benishangul-Gumuz region and reported the deaths of 15 civilians. He said another attack in the region on September 6 and then September 7-13 also killed civilians and displaced more than 300 people.
Ethnic tensions in Ethiopia are one of the main challenges for Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
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