Kore Negegna Group Reportedly Abducts Over 20 Civilians 

Kore Negegna operatives reportedly undertook the kidnapping operation in Welenchiti

Borkena

Toronto – The Kore Negegna ( read as Koree Nageenyaa  in Oromo language) has reportedly abducted over 20 civilians in the Oromia region of Ethiopia. 

According to Ethiopian Media Services published on Thursday, the incident occurred on July 30th in the evening in East Shoa zone, Boset district, Wolenchiti town.  It is about a two hours drive from the capital Addis Ababa.

A priest and pregnant woman among those abducted, the report added. The whereabouts of all the kidnapped civilians is said to be unknown. 

Ethnic Amhara communities in the district with licensed small firearms were reportedly rounded and dispossessed. 

There have been accusations that Kore Negegna  (Koree Nageenyaa) is a secret armed group organized by the ruling Prosperity Party in the Oromia region under the leadership of the region’s president, Shimeles Abdissa. 

An investigative report Reuters published in February 2024 revealed Koree Nageenyaa is a secretive body operating in the Oromia region of Ethiopia under the command of officials. It is linked to orders to killings and disappearances in the region. 

At the time of this writing, regional or federal government officials have not remarked about the latest incident of kidnapping involving 20 civilians. 

The source highlighted that the effort to reach out to government officials for a remark was unsuccessful – apparently due to government officials’ failure to answer phone calls. 

Politically motivated ransom kidnapping has become a persistent problem in Ethiopia since Abiy Ahmed became Prime Minister in April 2018. There was no known reported kidnapping in the country before that. 

The kidnapping problem is more pronounced in the Oromia region of Ethiopia. While most kidnappings seem to be linked to the military Oromo Liberation Army group which is widely operating in the region, there are allegations, including from armed groups, that the government in the region itself has organized a secretive armed group that is extensively engaged in kidnapping. 

Citizens have been forced to pay millions for birr to armed groups to secure the release of kidnapped family members. However, there were reports indicating that there are times when the kidnapper kills the kidnapped even after ransom is paid out, including via bank accounts. 

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