Renewed Attack in Ataye, Ephrata Gidim Area Reported

April 16, 2021

Residents in Ataye and Ephrata Gidim in central Ethiopia faced renewed attack from the military wing of the radical Oromo Liberation Front (OLF)

Borkena

Renewed attack is reported in Ataye and Ephrata Gidim. Local administration in the areas, all located in central Ethiopia, have confirmed it on Friday.

Solomon Altaye whose role is head of peace and security in Ephrata Gidim district said that there were attacks in Ataye, Alalay, Kara Kore and Yimlu towns, as reported by Ahadu Radio. 

All the places mentioned above  are located along the Addis Ababa- Dessie  road. 

According to the source, the renewed attacks happened in areas where the Ethiopian Defense Force is not deployed. 

The military wing of Oromo Liberation Front (OLF- Shane) was implicated in the attacks that happened in March 2021 which claimed over 100 lives. 

The renewed attack this week has caused damage in property and life. However, no detailed information is provided by the administration regarding the number of casualties. 

It happened for the 5th time in less than a month, and the local administration sees the incidents as something that indicates due government attention is not given to the problem. And it happens after  9:00 PM as deployed security forces are withdrawing from the area. It is unclear why the security forces withdraw from an area that has been experiencing repeated attacks. 

Ahadu Radio also cited Solomon Altaye as saying that residents in Ataye and Ephrata Gidim Kebele 19 are concerned for their safety. 

Furthermore, he remarked that the government needs to investigate government structure. 

Authorities in Oromo regional state, where thousands of ethnic Amhara had been massacred since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took office in 2018, have been saying recently that it is in a military operation to annihilate the military wing of Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) in a matter of fifteen days.  

There have been accusations that authorities within the government structure in the region facilitate the attacks. 

The Oromo Liberation Front has a land claim over much of north central Ethiopia. Under Tigray People’s Liberation Front dominated central government, it was listed as a terrorist organization after the parliament unanimously voted for it. 

It was during Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s Administration, in 2018, the organization was allowed to enter the country from their military base in Eritrea. There was a subsequent controversy with the Federal government as the OLF refuses  to disarm its rebel forces.