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Survivors of a massacre in western Ethiopia have counted 54 bodies in the field of a school after the latest deadly attack on ethnic minorities in the country, according to Amnesty International.
The victims were ethnic Amhara and came from the village of Gawa Qanga in the West Wellega area of Oromia, in a border area South Sudan.
Sunday’s attack, believed to have been carried out by members of the rebel Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), took place just one day after Ethiopian Defense Forces troops withdrew from the area “unexpectedly and without explanation, “said the human rights group Amnesty.
Witnesses are reported to have witnessed the deaths of men, women and children, as well as the looting of property and the burning of buildings.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali denounced the killings
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed denounced the killings, saying that security forces were now in the area and had “begun to take action”.
Ethnic violence is proving to be one of the greatest challenges facing EthiopiaThe prime minister, who was the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize last year for bringing about great political change in the country.
Writing on Facebook, he said: “Ethiopia’s enemies are vowing to rule the country or ruin it, and they are doing everything they can to achieve it.”
“One of their tactics is to arm civilians and carry out barbaric attacks based on identity. This is heartbreaking.”
Survivors of the attack told Amnesty that federal troops had withdrawn for no reason and the rebels followed a few hours later, announcing themselves as OLA and making it clear that they controlled the area.
“The militants rounded up people who were unable to flee, mainly women, children and the elderly, and killed them,” the Amnesty statement said.
The survivors hid in a nearby forest and one told Amnesty that he discovered the bullet-riddled bodies of his brother, sister-in-law and three children on the school grounds.
“The fact that this horrendous incident occurred shortly after government troops abruptly withdrew from the area under inexplicable circumstances raises questions that must be answered,” said Amnesty International regional director Deprose Muchena.
Ali received the Nobel Peace Prize last year for his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation.
The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission believes the attackers number 60.
The commission asks the federal government to “shed light” on why the military is withdrawing from an area “long known to be vulnerable to attack.”
The Amhara are Ethiopia’s second largest ethnic group after the Oromos, and have been the recent target of gunmen in western Benishangul Gumuz and southern regions, resulting in the death of several people.
The communications office of the Oromia region has described the latest assault as a “brutal terrorist attack”.
The station affiliated with the Amhara region, Amhara Mass Media Agency, quoted a survivor as saying that a school and 120 houses were also burned.
“The government has failed in its duty to protect the safety of citizens,” said Dessalegn Chanie, a senior member of the opposition Amhara National Movement party.
He believes that the federal system based on the country’s language is one of the driving forces behind the killings.
Chanie added: “Ethnic Amhara residing outside the Amhara region are being labeled as outsiders and are exposed to repeated attacks.”
