Residents Report Mass Displacement, Village Burnings, and the Killing of an Orthodox Priest Amid Government Operations Targeting Alleged Fano Support
By Borkena Desk
TORONTO, Canada — Ethnic Amhara communities in Anger Gute Town in East Wollega continue to face security threats following an incident involving a passenger bus last week. Thousands are reportedly displaced.
DW Amharic cited a resident of Anger Gute town, whose name was undisclosed, as saying that a passenger bus traveling from the town to Nekemte was attacked. An estimated 40–50 passengers were abducted by the gunmen who launched the attack, and their whereabouts remain unknown. The source stated it did not verify the story from independent sources.
According to the source, calm is not restored in the locality of Tulu-Lencha and Village Three after the incident. “The security condition is still concerning. So long as there are armed groups operating in the area and disrupting the security, we, as civilians do have a security concern,” a resident from the area told DW Amharic.
Residents also said that many have been unjustly displaced from Village Three, leaving properties behind. Fighting between armed groups in the area is common, they added. However, they say they are being targeted on alleged grounds of providing logistical support to the armed groups. Tulu Lencha, Jebed Gojjam Sefer, Village 02, and Village 14 were impacted, and residents have been displaced to Tulu Gana.
Video footage that went viral among Ethiopians on social media shows government forces—particularly the Geda Commando, Oromia region’s security forces—burning homes. Another shocking video purportedly shows these same armed forces abusing the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. In another picture, the dead body of a priest was displayed. The victim was later identified as Qomos Aba Tadesse.
There has been military engagement between armed groups and government forces in the area. Residents from the area told DW Amharic that on Saturday there was gunfire in the Limu Gelila district, particularly in the vicinity of Fendeka. It was not specified whether there were casualties from the incident.
Fano forces have been launching attacks on government forces in the Wollega region. However, a verified report found that ethnic Amhara communities in the area were not involved in any form in Fano’s operations. Activists and some opposition politicians say what is transpiring against ethnic Amhara communities in the region amounts to ethnic cleansing and/or genocide.
The Oromia regional state and Ethiopian Federal government have not yet remarked on the development.
__
Join our Telegram Channel: t.me/borkena
Like borkena on Facebook
Join the conversation. Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) @zborkena to get the latest Ethiopian news updates regularly. Subscribe to the YouTube channel. To share information or for submission, email info@borkena.com