More Than 50+ Civilians Killed in Ethiopia Attacks

Over 50 civilians were killed in attacks in Ethiopia in November, according to the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC). The OLA, classified as a “terrorist organization” by Addis Ababa, has been fighting Ethiopian authorities since its split with the historic Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) in 2018.

The EHRC reported that OLF fighters killed 17 people and burned villages in Benishangul-Gumuz, northwest Ethiopia. A further 30 people were killed in the Arsi zone of Oromia in a series of attacks by unidentified assailants, including several members of the same family.

Following the failure of talks in Tanzania on November 21st, which resulted in no agreement, the attacks occurred between November 23 and November 29.

The OLA, estimated at a few thousand men in 2018, has greatly increased in recent years, but observers consider it insufficiently organized and armed to represent a real threat to Ethiopia’s federal power.