Borkena
Toronto – Gunmen operating in the Oromia region of Ethiopia have reportedly kidnaped passengers.
Yeshoferoch Andebet, a social media page for cross region and cross country truck and bus drivers, on Saturday reported that it has received information that gunmen kidnapped passengers between Gohatsion and Tulu Milki towns in the region.
According to the source, dozens of passengers are killed while the remaining are kidnapped. The number of passengers who were in the bus is unspecified.
The bus was travelling from Bahir Dar, seat of the Amhara region administration, to the capital Addis Ababa.
At the time of this writing, the government communication office has not remarked on the incident.
Kidnapping of buses and passengers recur in the Oromia region particularly along the Bahir Dar Addis Ababa road. On March 19, it was reported that over 50 passengers were kidnapped in the North Shoa zone of Worejarso district, Oromia region. Less than a week after that, another passenger’s bus was kidnapped.
Kidnappers usually demand ransom over a million birr or threaten to kill the kidnappers. It has been common that most of those who are kidnapped could not afford to pay it.
Family members will have to sell property or engage in fundraising. Notably, it is known to the government officials that the ransom money is deposited via bank accounts including government owned banks like Commercial bank of Ethiopia.
The government blames the group it calls Shane (Oromo Liberation Army – OLA) for the kidnappings. Yet, the group, as it announced via its spokesperson a few months ago, claims that a group that the government organized under the name of “Shane” is responsible for the kidnapping.
OLA announced a few weeks ago that it would investigate the kidnapping from March 19 and made it public. It did not occur, at least until the time of this writing.
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