Reuters
The government of Ethiopia’s largest region, Oromiya, on Saturday accused the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) rebel group of killing “many civilians” in attacks that followed the failure of peace talks in Tanzania.
At least 36 people were killed when unidentified attackers struck three villages in Oromiya’s Shirka district on Nov. 24 and 27, residents told Reuters.
Hailu Adugna, the Oromiya region’s spokesman, blamed the attacks on the OLA, an outlawed splinter group of a formerly proscribed opposition party that returned from exile in 2018.
“The terror group is committing brutal acts on civilians because it is now very anxious,” Hailu told the state news agency, adding that properties were also destroyed in the attacks.
There was no immediate comment from the OLA. Federal government spokesman Legesse Tulu did not respond to a request for comment.
The federal government and its Oromiya regional counterparts have mobilised security teams to push out the rebels from areas they control, Hailu said.
