Armed men killed at least 100 people including members of regional security forces in Ethiopia’s Benishangul-Gumuz regional state.
Eyewitnesses told APA on Monday that the attacks occurred at Dalati locality of Buldiglu district, Assosa Zone, Benishangul-Gumuz regional state of east African country.
According to the residents, the attacks took place on Thursday and Friday last week, targeting the regional anti-riot police, local militias, and Special Forces. The residents said more than half of those killed were members of the region´s various security forces.
They said the attacks continued for nearly two days, with no intervention from federal forces and some attackers were wearing the former security uniform of the region.
Benishangul-Gumuz Regional State Police Commission Commissioner Mohammed Idriss confirmed the attack in an interview with local media, saying it occurred in the early hours of Thursday, around 5 a.m. He attributed the assault to the armed group known as OLF-Shene.
According to Idriss, the attack took place in Dalati locality, which borders neighboring Oromia Region. He reported that 21 civilians, 18 anti-riot police officers, and 13 local militia members were among the casualties. His breakdown accounts for 52 deaths, although residents have reported a higher toll.
The latest attack comes amid continuing security tensions in Benishangul-Gumuz, a region that experienced armed violence, counterinsurgency operations, civilian displacement, and multiple attempts at negotiated settlements.
The region’s conflict landscape has evolved several armed and political actors including the Gumuz People’s Democratic Movement (GPDM), the Benishangul People’s Liberation Movement (BPLM), local armed factions, which the Ethiopian government refers to as “OLF-Shene”.
The latest attack in Dalati comes less than three weeks after that announcement.
The circumstances surrounding the attack, the identities and affiliations of the perpetrators, and the discrepancy between the casualty figures provided by the police commissioner and those reported by residents remain unclear.
MG/abj/APA