At least 10 people were killed and 12 others wounded in a fresh attack by the Murle tribe militants from neighboring South Sudan in the Nuer zone of Ethiopia’s Gambella region, the regional government press secretariat disclosed on Monday in a statement.
The attackers indiscriminately opened fire on the local people in two districts namely Wantuwa and Makuwei during the late hours of Saturday, 20 May according to the press secretariat’s statement.
“The gunmen infiltrated the border on Saturday night, resulting in one fatality and one injury in the Bilkech locality of Makuwei district, whereas the militants claimed the lives of nine individuals and inflicted serious and minor injuries on eleven others in Mekaneyesus Church of Matahar town of Wantuwa district,”the chief administrator of the Nuer zone was quoted as saying.
Individuals with critical injuries have been promptly transferred to Gambella General Hospital for urgent medical treatment, while those with minor injuries have sought care at local healthcare facilities, the statement stated.
Gambela region’s vice president Tenkuwe Jok, along with other top officials visited the victims on Sunday, and expressed profound grief over the incident while unequivocally condemning the actions carried out by the Murle tribe militants.
He underscored the unwavering commitment of the regional government to bring the attackers to justice and affirmed that robust protective measures would be in place to prevent any recurrence of such incidents in the future.
On 07 February this year, the Murle tribe militants attacked Utuyo village in Gog district of Anyuak zone, killing two people and critically injuring another one, according to the regional press secretariat.
MG/abj/APA