Nine districts in Qellem Wellega zone in restive Oromia region in western Ethiopia have been hit by an electricity blackout, the zone’s administrator told local media Wednesday,blaming the outage on the rebel Oromo Liberation Army (OLA).
Western Ethiopia has been the theater of ethnic based attacks after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power in April 2018 and allowed armed rebel forces to enter into the country.
Administrator of the zone Hamba Rega said the blackout occurred after the OLA had damaged the power substation that transmits electricity from Gambella to Dembi Dolo town at a place called Anfelo.
Accordingly, Dembi Dolo, Seyu, Jemma Horo, Gawa Qiebe , Yama and Logi-Welele districts have been hit by power outages since early March 2021.
Water supply for the districts has also been interrupted since last month for undisclosed reasons.
