Ethiopian gov’t forces executions in Antsokia Gemza area are said to be retaliatory for an ambush attack
Antsokia Gemza district in North Shoa of Amhara region (Photo : public domain)borkena
Ethiopian government forces on Monday reportedly executed Nineteen youth in North Shoa in the latest string of killings. It happened in the Antsokia – Gemza area between Mekay and Bishe Rabe.
While executed youth were gathered from different areas, the execution took place in Mesal locality according to a report by Ethio News which cited eyewitnesses from the area.
Ethiopian Defense Force members were reportedly ambushed in the Anstokia area and an unspecified number of defense force members were killed in the attack a day before the execution.
The execution is said to be a retaliatory measure on the part of the Ethiopian Defense Force but those executed are not members of Fano forces – according to sources.
Many of the victims were buried in Girar Amba and Mesal on September 12 – when Ethiopian New Year was celebrated this year.
This is the second execution in the area in less than two weeks. As many as 29 youths were massacred in Majete after government forces went house-to-house searching following losing a battle with Fano combatants.
There have been similar executions in other parts of Amhara region including and it has got extensive media coverage by local sources. Last week, the Guardian published stories of executions by Ethiopian defense forces.
In a brief New Year message, the Ethiopian Prime Minister insinuated that he would be in the war that he imposed in the Amhara region of Ethiopia.
The region has been under a state of emergency since early August this year and a new regional president has been appointed.
Gedu Andargachew, former Ethiopian Minister for Foreign Affairs and president of the Amhara region said when he appeared at the Ethiopian parliament – during an extraordinary session called to approve the state of emergency – that the ruling party has totally lost legitimacy in the region. He added that the Amhara people have been subjected to unending killings and advised the Ethiopian government to resolve the problem through peaceful dialogue – not through war.
It has been months since Abiy Ahmed’s administration shut the internet in the region. Ethiopian activists tend to think that the Ethiopian Defense Force is extensively engaged in massacring civilians in the region but much of it is not revealed due to the internet shutdown.
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