Gunmen Attack Passenger Bus and Kill 34 People, Rights Body Says
ADDIS ABEBA – Gunmen in Benishangul-Gumuz killed at least 34 people in an attack on a bus on Saturday night, the national human rights body said on Sunday.
The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said it “is saddened to learn of a gruesome attack” on a passenger bus heading from Wonbera to Chagni of Debate Woredas in western Ethiopia.
The rights body said the estimated number of casualties, currently at 34, is likely to rise as there are reports of similar attacks in other areas – Wubgish, Yamp and Kidoh woredas – of the region.
“The latest attack is a grim addition to the human cost which we bear collectively,” EHRC Chief Commissioner Daniel Bekele said, “ said EHRC Chief Commissioner Daniel Bekele.
Government security forces have now intervened to prevent further attacks- a move, Daniel said, “is encouraging”.
The chief Commissioner also underlined the “particular gravity and repetition of attacks” in Ethiopia’s Western region.
“The unrelenting pace of attacks on civilians in Benishangul-Gumuz calls for higher vigilance and a more coordinated action between regional and federal security forces,” he said, urging federal and regional security and judicial authorities “to work together, and in consultation with the local community, to redesign a regional security strategy that can put a final stop to these attacks”.
