According to reports from residents, Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) / Shene kidnapped 30 farmers on November 23, 2021, from Anger Gute Lelisa Mekanisa kebele in the Eastern Wollega zone, specifically Gida woreda, as reported by Addis Maleda.
The report stated that the tension in the area started after OLA attacked and killed two individuals on September 26, 2021. As a result, more than 800 households were forced to evacuate their village and seek shelter in Anger Gute Lelisa Mekanisa kebele for over two months.
Addis Maleda was informed that the farmers were facing hunger and decided to return to their fields to collect their harvest and provide for their children. When they reached their fields, they encountered approximately 200 Shene militias who opened fire on them. Thirty farmers were taken captive by Shene, while the rest managed to escape.
Residents mentioned that there were federal defense force members stationed in Gutben Woreda, but they failed to provide protection to the people. They claimed that the defense forces stated they had not received any orders to intervene. More than 15,000 individuals are currently taking refuge in the shelter, displaced by the violence caused by Shene. No government structure has provided them with support or even visited them, according to the residents’ accounts.
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