The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission has revealed that at least 34 people have been killed by gunmen in Western Ethiopia on a bus on Saturday, November 14.
The Human Rights Commission disclosed this on Sunday while stating that the number of people killed was likely to rise after what it called a “gruesome” attack on the passenger bus in the Benishangul-Gumuz region.
It was stated that there were reports of “similar” attacks, and of people fleeing the violence, in other parts of the region.
The head of the commission, Daniel Bekele said, “The latest attack is a grim addition to the human cost which we bear collectively.”
He urged regional and federal authorities to work together on a strategy for Benishangul-Gumuz due to the “unrelenting pace” of attacks there.
Meanwhile, according to the Ethiopian government, “Armed militiamen killed at least 45 people in the same region in September.”
Recall that a 12-day-old war between the Ethiopian government and the restive Tigray region in the country’s north is still on.
Experts have predicted that conflict could encourage other ethnic groups to exploit the chaos to push for more autonomy, while the redeployment of forces to Tigray could leave other regions exposed.
