Twenty nine civilians were massacred in ethnic based attacks in Eastern Wollega zone, Oromo region of Ethiopia, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) announced.
The attack occurred on September 17 and 18 in Kiramu district of the zone and 18 civilians were killed on September 17 in Boka locality of the district, and the remaining 11 civilians were massacred in Wulmay locality, according to the report released on Friday by EHRC.
The Commission said it is concerned for the safety of civilians in Kiramu district after reports of latest killings.
Furthermore, EHRC said that over 40,000 civilians displaced from areas in the zone due to security reasons and residing in Benole, Beharo and Kiramu are in difficult situations as they are not provided with emergency humanitarian aid and other support.
Roads linking Kiramu with Bure and Nekemte are closed for vehicles, but the report is unspecified if the closure is related to the security situation.
EHRC called on Federal and regional government security forces to take concrete measures and resolve the security threat in Kiramu permanently and bring perpetrators of attacks on civilians to justice.
While reminding relevant authorities the task of returning displaced people to their place, the commission also called for the provision of humanitarian assistance for those displaced.
The statement from the commission did not specify as to who the perpetrators of the latest attack on civilians in Kiramu district.
It is, however, widely believed that the military wing of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) active in the area had been carrying out massacres – primarily targeting ethnic Amharas living in Wollega.
MG/as/APA