They are said to be residents of the Ethiopian region of Oromiya, where it has been restless for some time. Authorities report a death toll of 32, but according to aid organization Amnesty International at least 54 people have died.
Armed rebel group
An armed rebel group called OLF Shane is said to be behind the attacks. They are said to have murdered dozens of people of the Amhara ethnic minority group. The rebels are said to have stolen cattle and set everything on fire when they left. More than 700 people have lost their homes, Amnesty reports.
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The rebel group struck this weekend after the Ethiopian army unexpectedly withdrew from the area the day before. The massacre will increase pressure on Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed last year still won the Nobel Peace Prize.
Premier Abiy Ahmed
OLF Shane is a split-off from the opposition party Oromo Liberation Front (OLF). That party was banned, but was allowed to return to the country when Ahmed came to power two years ago.
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Persistent attacks
OLF Shane says he is fighting for the rights of the Oromos, the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia. It is unclear what prompted the rebels to cause the massacre.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed caused the attack. “I am deeply saddened by the ongoing attacks on ethnic minority groups,” he wrote a tweet.
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