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The attack occurred on Wednesday morning, according to witnesses, according to the regional government news agency, AP reports. It took place in the town of Bekoji, located in the Bulen area of the Benishangul-Gumuz region, where several different ethnic groups live, Reuters writes.
Armed people are said to have shot people and set fire to houses where people slept.
Farmer Belay Wajera in Bulen he tells Reuters he counted 82 bodies in a field near his home. He says the family woke up to the sound of gunfire and ran out of the house, whereupon the attackers shouted “catch them.” His wife and five children were shot to death while he himself was shot.
A health worker says he treated 38 wounded, most of whom were shot.
“We were not prepared for this and we have run out of drugs,” a nurse told Reuters.
Belete Molla, who is the leader of the Amhara national political movement, says he has spoken by phone with residents. He believes that more than 200 people have died and that some people from remote villages remain surrounded and threatened. It is not yet clear who is behind the attack. According to Belete Molla, they are members of the Gumuz militia.
The ruling party in the region, Benishangul-Gumuz Prosperity, said in a statement that “armed bandits” had committed a “terrible crime.”
The area has previously been affected by ethnic violence.
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