Ethiopia Gun Attack | More Than 300 People Killed In Oromia Region: Report

The other resident, who gave the figure of those killed to be 320, said the attackers were ethnic Oromos from a group called the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA).

New Delhi: As many as 320 people were killed in an attack by the gunmen in Ethiopia’s western Oromia region, eyewitnesses said, The Guardian reported. The attack took place in Gimbi district of western Wollega zone in the western part of Oromia earlier on Saturday. “So far we have buried 260 people, which I took part in collecting the bodies and burying the bodies. We just buried them in a farm. We buried 50 to 60 bodies in single graves,” The Guardian quoted one resident as saying. He said that he had survived in the attack by hiding in a ditch, but lost four siblings and three cousins.

The other resident, who gave the figure of those killed to be 320, said the attackers were ethnic Oromos from a group called the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA).

Asserting that “it was a massacre of Amharas”, he said that he survived by hiding in a forest and added that he had heard the attackers speaking in the Oromo language.

The residents, however, declined to reveal their identity because of fears for their safety.

The survivors described the massacre to be one of the deadliest such incidents for several years in the country.

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has condemned the “attacks on innocent civilians” and said restoring peace and security remain his priority.

“Attacks on innocent civilians & destruction of livelihoods by illegal and irregular forces is unacceptable. There is zero tolerance for horrific acts claiming lives recently in both Beninshangul & Oromia regions by elements whose main objective is to terrorize communities,” Ahmed tweeted.

“Restoring peace and security in affected communities remains our key priority,” he added on the micro-blogging platform.

The Oromia regional government blamed the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) for the attack.

The rebels had attacked “after being unable to resist the operations launched by [federal] security forces”, The Guardian reported the Oromia regional government as saying in a statement.

OLA International Spokesperson Odaa Tarbii refuted the charges.

“The attack you are referring to was committed by the regime’s military and local militia as they retreated from their camp in Gimbi following our recent offensive,” Tarbii told the Associated Press in a message.

“They escaped to an area called Tole, where they attacked the local population and destroyed their property as retaliation for their perceived support for the OLA. Our fighters had not even reached that area when the attacks took place,” he added.