Addis Ababa: At least 100 individuals, including students, were abducted for ransom in Ethiopia’s volatile regions last week, marking continued instability despite a peace agreement signed after the Tigray civil war ended in November 2022, stated the US ambassador to Addis Ababa on Monday.
While Tigray has achieved some stability post-agreement, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s administration faces ongoing security challenges in other areas. According to the United Nations, last year witnessed over 1,300 deaths nationwide, predominantly affecting Amhara and Oromia.
“Recent kidnappings in the Oromia and Amhara regions highlight how prolonged conflict emboldens criminals and undermines the rule of law,” Ambassador Ervin Massinga emphasized on the social media platform X. “Last week, over 100 students and passengers were abducted for ransom,” he added.
On Wednesday, gunmen intercepted three buses approximately 120 km (75 miles) north of Addis Ababa in Oromia, according to a Debark University student who managed to escape and seek refuge in a forest. “It was scary and shocking. They started to beat the passengers with sticks, and force them to get out of the bus,” he recounted.
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The attackers, he noted, spoke Oromo and bore a resemblance to fighters from the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), accused by the UN of various atrocities including killings, property destruction, rape, and abductions.
“The kidnappers are now asking families to pay up to 1 million birr ($17,500) to release the captives,” he disclosed to the international news agency Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Requests for comment from spokespeople for the OLA, local Oromia authorities, and the central government went unanswered by the time of Reuters’ inquiry.
Asmamaw Zegeye, president of Debark University, confirmed the incident but refrained from providing further details. The sister of another abducted student reported that their captors sought 500,000 birr for their release.
