Fresh Attack in Benishangul Region Claimed Twenty Innocent Lives

Authorities in Benishangul gumuz region of Ethiopia have confirmed the attack on Thursday this week which claimed the lives of 20 innocent people

Borkena

September 25, 2020

Less than two weeks after the massacre that claimed at least 89 lives, another attack in the Metekel zone of the Benishangul Gumuz region of Ethiopia claimed the lives of twenty innocent civilians.

Amhara Mass Media Agency (AMMA) said on Friday that the attack happened on the night of Thursday, September 24, around 4: 00 a.m. in the early morning.

Gunmen opened fire on civilians in Dangur district of Metekel Zone, where a deadly massacre happened about two weeks ago.  It was residents in the region who reported the latest incident of attack to AMMA. The Head of the kebele where the attack happened has confirmed the news. Victims of the attack are ethnic Amharas.

“We had a concern that a security incident could happen. However, since the attack happened during nighttime it was impossible to repulse the attack and to hunt the attackers,” said the head of the Kebele, as cited by AMMA.

As was the case in the past, the identities of perpetrators of the attack are said to be unknown. 

Head of the district administration Deslagne Endris told AMMA that security forces have arrived in Dangur to investigate the attack. He also said, “we had information about the security threat, and we have informed people who were displaced from the area not to return.”

Earlier this week, authorities in the Benishangul region claimed they have arrested over 360 people linked to the attack that happened in the same area about two weeks ago.

After the attack, Major General Mohammed Tessema Ethiopia’s Defense Force Head of indoctrination said that the attack was carried out by “disenchanted youth” in the region. He also said that the Defense Force neutralized many of the attackers and the rest have been chased away.

The latest string of attacks came barely a week after the press statement by Major General Mohammed Tessema.