Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has accused a rebel group of carrying out “a new massacre” of civilians in the western state of Oromia.
In a statement on Twitter on Monday, Abiy said the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) had “caused damage” to civilians as its fighters fled an attack by security forces in Oromia. .
“Citizens living in the Qellem Wollega neighborhood of Oromia state were massacred,” he said, without giving details.
“We will pursue this terrorist group to the end and eliminate it,” he added.
Abiy’s office did not provide death figures and could not verify the information because access to Oromia was limited. The area where the murder took place also lost power and communication.
Officials have blamed the OLA for several killings targeting the Amharas, Ethiopia’s second-largest ethnic group, although the rebels have denied responsibility.
The US-based Amhara Association of America (AAA) told AFP news agency that Monday’s attack targeted Amhara in a village in Qellem Wollega’s Hawa Gelan district.
It said phone contact into the remote area had been cut since midday.
One survivor told Amhara Media Corporation, a state-run regional outlet, that “nobody came to our rescue”.
“Surname [the attackers] have left and the bodies are now being recovered, 300 . so far [bodies] has been collected,” said the survivor. “But it’s still early, there are many others we don’t know where.”
AAA, citing domestic sources, told the AP news agency it believes 150 to 160 people may have been killed in the attacks.
The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC), an independent state agency, said it was alarmed by the reports and called for an “urgent reinforcement” of government security to prevent further attacks. civilian deaths.
It said in a statement that government security forces were believed to have reached the area but residents continued to seek shelter elsewhere.
“Insecurity continues in the area and what appears to be an ethnically targeted killing of residents must be stopped immediately,” said EHRC Chief Commissioner Daniel Bekele. in a statement.
Ethiopia’s armed forces have for many years fought the OLA insurgency in Oromia, the largest and most populous region bordering South Sudan.
In June, several hundred people, mainly Amhara, were killed by gunmen in the village of Tole in West Wollega, an area bordering Qellem Wollega, according to witnesses.
Local authorities said the OLA was responsible, but rebels denied any role in the killings and blamed a pro-government militia.
No official numbers have been released, but Abiy spokeswoman Billene Seyoum told reporters on June 30 that 338 victims have been identified so far.
Michele Bachelet, the UN’s head of rights, has called on Ethiopian authorities to conduct “quick, objective and thorough” investigations into the Tole attack.
Also in June, the OLA attacked the regional capital Gambella – the first such raid on a major rebel city.
US-based Human Rights Watch said on Monday that it has documented severe abuses in Oromia, including in the west, where a government campaign of “abuses” has been reported The OLA trapped civilians in the fire.
It said the Tigray conflict in northern Ethiopia had overshadowed a “persistent cycle of violence” against civilians by security forces and armed groups in Oromia.
Last year, the OLA allied with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which has been fighting government forces in the north since November 2020.
