By Staff Writer
(Nairobi, Kenya) — At least ten civilians were killed and dozens more wounded when heavily armed assailants opened fire near the central bus terminal in Gilgel Beles, the administrative center of the Metekel Zone in Ethiopia’s Benishangul-Gumuz region, according to eyewitness accounts reported by Deutsche Welle (DW).
The coordinated attack shattered the early morning calm as passengers gathered to board long-distance buses, plunging the zonal capital into terror as gunfire and heavy weaponry echoed near crowded transit hubs.
Terrified residents and travelers told Deutsche Welle (DW) that armed gunmen deployed heavy weaponry around the bus station during peak morning travel hours. Panic ensued as bullets struck passengers, drivers, and bystanders attempting to flee the open terminal area.
Emergency medical personnel and local volunteers rushed numerous wounded victims to nearby health centers and regional hospitals for urgent surgical care. Local human rights observers noted that the human toll reflects a worsening security climate for ordinary civilians reliant on public transport corridors across the region.
In an official statement released on social media, the Metekel Zone Administration confirmed that an armed assault targeted Gilgel Beles town, though officials declined to disclose specific civilian casualty figures.
The zonal communication office identified the perpetrators as members of a forest-based militant group self-styled as the “Gumuz Force,” alleging that the group operated in tactical coordination with extremist elements of the Fano militia.
According to government statements, federal and regional security forces engaged the insurgents in heavy clashes inside and around the town’s perimeter, taking “coordinated heavy measures” that resulted in casualties among the attacking forces before restoring military control.
The tragedy in Gilgel Beles is part of an escalating cycle of armed violence targeting transit networks and rural communities across Benishangul-Gumuz. Longstanding grievances tied to land rights, local governance, and ethnic representation have repeatedly erupted into mass-casualty attacks against vulnerable populations.
The vulnerability of regional transit corridors was highlighted further just twenty-four hours later, on May 12, 2026, when a separate armed attack on passenger buses traveling between Mankush and Gilgel Beles reportedly left more than 30 people dead.
While local authorities state that security forces have reinforced positions in Gilgel Beles to maintain stability, grieving families and displaced residents express deep fear over whether peace can be sustained along the region’s vital transport arteries.
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This shows the predicament the civilians are facing. It is a catch 22 and gauntlet nightmare for them. They have fallen victims to senseless violence by both government forces and those armed groups fighting the regime. At night the armed gangs descend on the civilian villages and kill entire families who they think work for the government. Then government force move in after sunrise and round up those they consider to be moles supporting ‘the enemy. Most of the arrested will never be heard again. This has resulted in the displacements of countless innocent civilians both in Amhara and Oromia regions. Tigray region seems to be a lost cause in this regards since such displacement has been going on since 1975.