Ethiopian government says undertaking military measures against perpetrators of recent killings of civilians
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E-mail Xinhua, June 30, 2022
ADDIS ABABA, June 30 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopian government on Thursday disclosed that military measures are underway against outlawed forces that have committed the recent killings of innocent people in western Ethiopia.
Legesse Tulu, the Ethiopian government spokesperson, said the joint forces of the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF), Federal Police and Oromia Special Force have taken military measures on members of the terrorist group that have committed "the heinous crimes."
The joint forces are also presently hunting for those who have been hiding in forests after the law enforcement operation began, state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate (FBC) quoted Tulu as saying.
The UN Human Rights Office in a statement last week said it had spoken to witnesses who reported that at around 9 a.m., local time, on June 18, a group of armed individuals descended on the village of Tole, with a predominantly Amhara population, and reportedly began shooting randomly, leaving hundreds dead and forcing at least 2,000 others to flee from their homes.
Ethiopian government officials and survivors have accused the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) fighters of carrying out the attack, a charge the rebel group has denied.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) also said that an unspecified number of people are reported to have been abducted during the attack and their whereabouts remain unknown.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet urged Ethiopian authorities to promptly initiate and conduct transparent investigations into the recent killings of "hundreds of people" in western Ethiopia while calling on the Ethiopian authorities "to take all necessary and lawful measures to ensure those abducted regain their freedom."
Amid increasing tensions and violence which has erupted in various regions of Ethiopia in recent weeks, the High Commissioner also urged the government to ensure and protect the right to life.
The Ethiopian parliament had designated the OLA as a terrorist group in May 2021. Enditem
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