According to a statement from the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC), the attack on the town of Gimbi was related to the fighting between government forces and the OLA. “Many people were injured, villages were destroyed, and the entire community was traumatized,” EHRC told CNN on Monday.
Last year, the OLA, which worked with Tigrinya rebels against the Ethiopian federal government in a protracted Ethiopian conflict, denied all claims. OLA spokesman Odaa Tarbii said on Sunday that Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s “regime” “re-condemns OLA for the atrocities committed by his retreating fighters.”
Rebel groups have been designated as terrorist organizations by the Ethiopian government and are often accused of attacking civilians and targeting Amharics.
The incident has struck the country since the outbreak of combat in northern Tigray, Ethiopia, in 2020 when allies in the Amhara region adjacent to the Abby government tried to quell the rebellion by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). It is one of the worst atrocities that have been attacked.
Before Abby came to power in 2018, the TPLF dominated the Ethiopian government.
Local police officers involved in responding to the incident on Saturday told CNN that an attack occurred on Saturday near the village of Thor in Cibi, with the majority of the victims belonging to the Amhara ethnic group. .. Police officers did not have the authority to speak about this matter, so they spoke on condition of anonymity.
He said the assault occurred days after a fierce battle between government security forces and OLAs in the area.
Survivors and fugitives told police officers that the attack began when OLA members attempted to cross the village but were denied passage by locals and some armed civilians.
Residents of Thor, who spoke only on anonymous terms for fear of retaliation, said they saw OLA militias walking on the arterial road before being dispersed in neighboring villages on Saturday morning. He added that government troops seen in Thor earlier in the week had left the area a few days before the attack.
Police officials said the respondents were sent to the scene on Sunday to retrieve and bury the bodies.
Federal troops are currently securing the area, but “due to security concerns in the area, residents are still seeking urgent help,” EHRC said.
According to a statement released on Sunday, the Oromia local government also accused the OLA of attacking civilians after “could not resist attacks from security forces” and stepped up attacks on the group. I swore.
“Attacking innocent civilians and destroying livelihoods by illegal and irregular troops is unacceptable,” Abby said in a tweet on Monday.
Daniel Bekele, head of the EHRC, told authorities in a statement on Sunday that he would “ensure the necessary steps to protect civilians” and “find a lasting solution to the problem.” I asked for that.
Ethiopia is an ethnically and religiously diverse country with approximately 110 million people who speak many different languages. The two largest ethnic groups, the Oromo and Amharic, make up more than 60% of the population. The third largest Tigrinya is about 7%.
Source: www.cnn.com
