A rebel group operating in Ethiopia’s Oromia region has kidnapped over 50 passengers as they were travelling from the capital, Addis Ababa.
The passengers were heading to Debre Markos, a town in the country’s Amhara region, when they were attacked and abducted at Worejarso district, Alidoro locality by the armed men who exchanged fire with local security forces.
News of the kidnap emerged on Thursday.
According to information gathered by APA, the gunmen seized one of the three passenger buses which were heading to the Amhara region.
Two buses had escaped the ambush.
51 passengers who were on board the Felege Ghion bus were taken to undisclosed locations. An elderly man who was reportedly unable to walk along with the rest of the kidnappers was allegedly shot and killed.
Women constitute a large number of passengers kidnapped.
The whereabouts of the hostages, almost all ethnic Amhara remain known.
The government has not reacted officially to the incident.
Abductions of civilians – including passengers – have become increasingly common in the area.
Armed groups here have in the past demanded ransoms for the release of people they hold.
The OLA says it is fighting for the self-determination of Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group, the Oromo.
It has been classified as a terrorist organisation by the federal parliament and operates in various parts of Oromia including the district where Ali Doro is located.
MG/as/APA