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The death toll from this week’s attack in Ethiopia’s western Benishangul-Gumuz region has risen to at least 222, report representatives of the African country’s Red Cross organization.
– Yesterday we buried 207 victims and 15 of the attackers, says Melese Mesfin, who is a volunteer for the Red Cross.
During the attack at dawn on Wednesday, gunmen entered the village of Bekoji a few miles from the city of Bulen and shot people and set fire to houses where people slept, according to the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission.
Initially, the human rights organization estimated that just over 100 people died in connection with the attack.
Benishangul-Gumuz, which is relatively close to the conflict-ravaged Tigray region, has in recent years been the scene of violent clashes between different ethnic groups. Recently, farmers and entrepreneurs from the neighboring Amhara region have moved to the area, leading to conflicts over agricultural land.
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