More than 100 civilians were killed in Ethiopia during the bloody massacre that local militants staged in the Metekel zone of the Benishangul-Gumuz region in the west of the African country. The Daily Mail reports.
As the newspaper notes, terrorists armed with firearms, knives, as well as bows and arrows, attacked the villagers of Bekoji early on Wednesday morning, December 23. The massacre of the civilian population continued until noon, and the attackers also set fire to houses and crops. In total, 102 people died as a result of the attack and fires staged by the militants, and at least 36 others were injured.
After that, the military was sent to the area, who destroyed 42 militants who participated in the attack, and also seized all the weapons they had with them. Who exactly is behind the attack has not yet been announced, but it is known that five officials were arrested on suspicion of involvement in organizing the massacre. Other details are not provided. However, some of the survivors stated that they personally knew the attackers.
As Daily Mail writes, representatives of several ethnic groups live in this region , between which conflicts arise periodically. At the same time, according to some reports, the militants who carry out massacres in the Metekel zone are trained in neighboring Sudan and later hide in its territory.
Earlier, in November, armed militants attacked a bus in the Benishangul region -Humuz. Then, as a result of the attack, at least 34 people were killed. Prior to this, a massacre took place in the city of Mai-Kadra in the northern region of Tigray: several hundred people were killed. At the same time, it is noted that there is no talk of a connection between the events in Benishangul-Gumuz and Tygrai.