Ethiopia's Abiy accuses OLA rebels of new 'massacre' in Oromia region
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"Citizens living in the Qellem Wollega zone of Oromia state have been massacred," Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed says, vowing to "eradicate" Oromo Liberation Army.
Ethiopia has for years been fighting a rebellion by OLA in western Oromia, the largest and most populous region in the country. (Reuters Archive)
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has accused Oromo fighters, who last year allied with Tigray rebels, of carrying out a new "massacre" of civilians in a restive area in the far west of the country and vowed to wipe out the group.
Abiy said on Monday the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), which is designated a terrorist organisation by Addis Ababa, was "inflicting damage" on people as its fighters fled an offensive by security forces in western Oromia.
he said on Twitter, without giving details.Citizens living in the Qellem Wollega zone of Oromia state have been massacred,
he added.We will pursue this terrorist group to the end and eradicate it,
It was not possible to verify the information as access to western Oromia is restricted, and the area concerned was under a communications blackout.
The US-based Amhara Association of America (AAA) said on Twitter it was
in the Oromia region.gravely concerned over reports of yet another massacre against Amharas
It said in a message to the AFP news agency that the attack targeted members of the ethnic Amhara group in Mender 20 (Village 20) in the Hawa Gelan district of Qellem Wollega.
the AAA said, adding that the attack began at 6:00 am [local time] and was still going on when he spoke to the witnesses around noon.One of our investigators did talk to three eyewitnesses... hiding in a forest nearby,
It said the telecommunications network in the zone had been disconnected since around 1:00 pm [local time].
Hundreds massacred?
a survivor was quoted as telling the Amhara Media Corporation, a state-run regional outlet.Nobody came to our rescue,
Ethiopia's armed forces have for years been fighting a rebellion by the OLA in Oromia, the largest and most populous region in the country.They (the attackers) have left and bodies are now being picked up, so far 300 (bodies) have been collected. But it's still early, there are many others whose whereabouts we don’t know.
In June, several hundred people, mostly Amhara, were massacred by gunmen in the village of Tole in West Wollega, an area adjacent to Qellem Wollega, according to witnesses.
Local authorities said the OLA was responsible, but the rebels denied any role in the killings and blamed a pro-government militia.
No official toll has been published, but Abiy spokesperson Billene Seyoum told reporters on June 30 that 338 victims had been identified so far.
'Persistent cycle of violence'
UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet called on the Ethiopian authorities to conduct
investigations into the Tole attack.prompt, impartial and thorough
Also in June, the OLA attacked the Gambella regional capital –– the first such strike on a major city by the rebels.
The US-based campaign group Human Rights Watch said on Monday it had documented serious abuses in Oromia, including in the west where an "abusive" government campaign against the OLA had trapped civilians in the crossfire.
It said the Tigray conflict in northern Ethiopia was overshadowing a "persistent cycle of violence" against civilians by security forces and armed groups in Oromia.
The OLA last year allied with the Tigray People's Liberation Front, which has been fighting government forces in the north since November 2020.
Source: AFP