March 19, 2025
Borkena
Toronto – Gunmen operating in the Oromia region of Ethiopia reportedly kidnapped over 50 passengers in North Shoa zone Worejarso district.
According to Ethiopian Reporter, local media, cited sources from the region to report that the incident occurred on Monday morning.
Residents who spoke on condition of anonymity gunmen opened fire near the locality of “Alidoro” on three buses. Two passenger buses “escaped” and one of them did not.
Abay bus, Felege Ghion bus and Habesha bus operators were reportedly carrying passengers from Addis Ababa to Debre Markos, Amhara region of Ethiopia.
51 passengers who were on board the Felege Ghion bus were taken to undisclosed locations. An elderly man who was reportedly unable to walk along with the rest of the kidnappers was shot and killed. Many women are among those abducted from the attack.
A bus operator who spoke anonymously to the source said that the attack is ethnic based. The victims seem to be ethnic Amhara.
As well, the source added that it reached out to Oromia region security official, Ararsa Merdassa and the region’s communication office declined to answer calls.
At the time of this writing, the Federal government nor Oromia regional state have not remarked about the incident.
A resident from the area who spoke to the Reporter on condition of anonymity said “the incident is recurring almost on a daily basis. The government is not providing protection and security to citizens.”
The identities of the gunmen are not established. Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), a militant ethnic Oromo Nationalist Group, has been linked to recurring kidnappings in the region. However, the group points fingers at the government. It claims that the government has its own “Shene” group that is engaging in kidnappings and killings.
In July 2024, hundreds of university students traveling from Amhara region to Addis Ababa were abducted in the Garba Guracha Oromia region of Ethiopia. The kidnappers were demanding up to 700,000 Ethiopian Birr per person. There were also instances where the gunmen killed the kidnappees after receiving ransom. Strange enough, at times the kidnappers received ransom payment via bank accounts.
The latest kidnapping came at a time when the Ethiopian Defense Force claimed a major military victory against the Oromo Liberation Army forces in the region.
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