Over 200 people have been killed in Oromia, Ethiopia, according to witnesses. Most of those killed were ethnic Amhara, a Semitic-speaking ethnic group that is indigenous to Ethiopia.
Abdul-Seid Tahir, who is a resident of Gimbi county spoke to the Associated Press after having escaped the massacre on Saturday and stated, "I have counted 230 bodies. I am afraid this is the deadliest attack against civilians we have seen in our lifetime".
"We are burying them in mass graves, and we are still collecting bodies. Federal army units have now arrived, but we fear that the attacks could continue if they leave", he added.
Multiple witnesses of the attack were carried out by the Oromo Liberation Army, but an OLA spokesman named Odaa Tarbii denied the accusations stating in a message to AP News, "The attack you are referring to was committed by the regime’s military and local militia as they retreated from their camp in Gimbi following our recent offensive".
"They escaped to an area called Tole, where they attacked the local population and destroyed their property as retaliation for their perceived support for the OLA. Our fighters had not even reached that area when the attacks took place", Tarbii added.
Abdul-Seid Tahir, who is a resident of Gimbi county spoke to the Associated Press after having escaped the massacre on Saturday and stated, "I have counted 230 bodies. I am afraid this is the deadliest attack against civilians we have seen in our lifetime".
"We are burying them in mass graves, and we are still collecting bodies. Federal army units have now arrived, but we fear that the attacks could continue if they leave", he added.
Multiple witnesses of the attack were carried out by the Oromo Liberation Army, but an OLA spokesman named Odaa Tarbii denied the accusations stating in a message to AP News, "The attack you are referring to was committed by the regime’s military and local militia as they retreated from their camp in Gimbi following our recent offensive".
"They escaped to an area called Tole, where they attacked the local population and destroyed their property as retaliation for their perceived support for the OLA. Our fighters had not even reached that area when the attacks took place", Tarbii added.