At least 29 civilians were killed by the rebel Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) in Debis and other two localities in Horo Gudru zone of restive Oromia Region of Ethiopia.
OLF Shene troops entered the Ethiopian church in Debis locality and shot dead the head of the church and took hostages 28 others but killed them in nearby jungle, relatives of the victims told local media.
The relatives also told local media that bodies of the victims were recovered on Sunday and laid to rest in the same locality.
Residents of the districts are quoted as saying that the security gap was created as the militia in the district and Oromo regional state Special Forces were deployed to another location.
The residents claimed the attackers were backed by the local leadership whose members were also accused of participating in the massacre. The Oromo Liberation Front gunmen had information about the security vacuum, the residents have claimed.
The ethnic based killing has continued at this writing and it is not clear if the government deployed security forces there.
