Gamo Zone Police Confirm Security Casualties as Unconsulted Investment Expansion Sparks Armed Confrontations in Gerese Zuriya District
By Staff Writer
(Nairobi, Kenya) — Severe violence in the South Ethiopia Region resulted in the deaths of at least 21 people following an agricultural investment expansion dispute in Koshale Kebele, Gerese Zuriya Woreda, Gamo Zone.
Local residents reported that the conflict erupted after regional authorities granted new land expansion rights to a commercial investment firm operating in the area for five to six years without consulting surrounding farming communities.
Community members confirmed that the dispute escalated into armed confrontations between local groups, company personnel, and law enforcement units dispatched to the area.
One resident reported that 22 people died during the clashes, specifying that the deceased included 12 employees of the investment firm along with 10 police officers and regional security personnel. Local sources noted that several bodies of security personnel remained unrecovered in the days following the violence, though relative calm has since returned to the district.
The Gamo Zone Police Department confirmed in an official public statement that security force members came under fire while attempting to stabilize the security situation in Koshale Kebele.
vZone law enforcement officials stated that illegal armed groups opened fire on police officers and local militia members deployed to restore order, expressing condolences to the families of the fallen officers and praising their service. Regional police authorities indicated that detailed investigations into the incident and surrounding land allocations remain ongoing.
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