The city of Gambella, center, beside the Baro River in a Sentinel-2 satellite image of western Ethiopia captured on April 14, 2020 (Copernicus Sentinel data, image by Yonas Kidane, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0) [file photo]
Gambella police imposed an indefinite night curfew on the regional capital after a night attack killed four civilians on Tuesday and unrest on Wednesday killed at least five more, BBC Amharic reported.
The Tuesday night attack took place in kebele 04 of Gambella city, an area commonly known as Addis Sefer, residents told BBC Amharic, asking not to be named for their safety. Hospital sources said three of the four victims died at the scene and that a 16-year-old girl, who was badly wounded, died the next morning at about 11:30 a.m. at Gambella General Hospital. Three of the dead were women and one was a man, and all of them were shot, a member of the hospital's management said, adding that they had been told the victims were in the same house when they were attacked.
"They came in at night and killed people who were drinking coffee," one resident said of the gunmen.
The same resident said attacks on civilians had happened from time to time before Tuesday, and that three days earlier gunmen had made a married couple open their shop and then shot them dead. He described the attackers as people who "live in the forest" and come into the town suddenly to carry out attacks. He said he did not know what they wanted, and that the targets were residents commonly called "Habesha" who had moved to Gambella from other parts of the country. "The armed are not fighting the armed. It is the poor who know nothing who are paying the price," he said.
Residents said the unrest on Wednesday began when people returning with the bodies of the dead started throwing stones in anger, and that it grew from there. Hospital sources confirmed that five people killed in Wednesday's violence were brought to hospitals. Four of them arrived dead at Gambella General Hospital, including a 60-year-old woman who was killed with a blade, while the others were shot, a hospital source said. A woman who saw the bodies at the hospital said two of the dead were wearing regional police uniforms and one was a civilian.
Dr. Pal Kir, medical director of Gambella Primary Hospital, told BBC Amharic that one of the dead was taken to his hospital and that three wounded people were treated there. One of them, who was seriously hurt, was sent to Jimma for further treatment, he said.
Residents said about five government offices, as well as private homes and property, were damaged during the unrest, and that gunfire was still heard in Addis Sefer on Thursday morning. ENDF soldiers entered the city on Wednesday and joined federal police and regional security forces in trying to bring the situation under control, according to BBC Amharic's sources. They said there was relative calm, but no movement of people, and that shops and other businesses were closed.
The regional police said in a statement on Wednesday evening that lives had been lost "in an attack at night by unidentified groups" in the city. The commission said it was working to identify those responsible and bring them to justice, called on the community for support, and banned the movement of people and vehicles "strictly" from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. for an indefinite period. Ethiopia Insider reported on X that the curfew took effect on Wednesday, and Sheger FM carried the police statement. BBC Amharic said Regional Police Commissioner Ujulu Udol did not answer repeated calls or written questions. The Gambella city administration said security forces were working to calm all kebeles, and urged residents who had fled their homes out of fear to return and businesses to reopen.
Addis Standard reported on X on Wednesday that a widespread power outage hit much of the city after the attack. Local sources told the outlet that smoke could be seen rising from several places, including government offices and hotels. The police commission expressed "deep sorrow over the loss of citizens' lives," Addis Standard said. The outlet reported that the commission announced an initial ban on pedestrian and vehicle movement from 6 p.m. on Tuesday until 6 p.m. on Wednesday, along with a ban on unauthorized civilians carrying firearms, before police announced the indefinite night curfew.
Borkena reported a far higher toll, saying, citing residents, that at least 25 people were killed and more than 80 injured, and repeated the figure on X. Mereja could not independently confirm that number. The hospital sources who spoke to BBC Amharic accounted for nine deaths across the two days. Natna News, citing Wazema, reported that the authorities blamed "anti-peace forces" and said weapons and radios had been seized, and that no group had claimed responsibility.
A user posting as Dagnachew wrote on X on Wednesday that gunfire was continuing in kebele 04 "weeks after armed men briefly controlled the city," and that at least four people had been killed. Mereja could not verify the claim that armed men had controlled the city. A statement circulating on X in the name of the Alliance for Gambela Armed Resistance and Protection (AGARAP) accused the ENDF and federal police of targeting Anywaa civilians in Gambella town. Mereja could not verify the statement or who issued it.
Addis Standard published a report, shared on X on Friday, under the headline “Recent deadly attack in Gambella leaves more than 20 dead as road closures deepen isolation.” Dagnachew wrote on X on Friday that there were reports of heavy gunfire in kebele 05 of Gambella city, close to the regional state house, on the “third day of confrontations between armed men and national army.” He said more than 20 people, including ENDF soldiers, had died so far and that the curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. was still in place. Mereja could not independently confirm the higher tolls.
In September, Médecins Sans Frontières said a clash in the Gambella region had killed 12 people and injured more than 80, Addis Standard Amharic reported at the time.
Sources
- BBC Amharic, the attack and unrest that took lives in Gambella city, October 15, 2026
- Addis Standard on X, curfew and power outage
- Ethiopia Insider on X, curfew
- Sheger FM on X, police statement
- Borkena, Gambella city violence
- Borkena on X
- Natna News, citing Wazema
- Dagnachew on X
- Dagnachew on X, October 16
- Addis Standard, Gambella toll and road closures
- AGARAP statement as circulated on X
- Addis Standard Amharic on X, MSF figures, September 21, 2026