Abo church massacre

Abo church massacre
Part of the OLA insurgency
East Welega East Welega (Ethiopia)
Location	Debos Kebele, East Welega Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia
Coordinates	10°52′47″N 38°22′22″E / 10.8796°N 38.3727°E / 10.8796; 38.3727
Date	5 March 2021
Target	Amhara people
Attack type	Mass shooting
Deaths	29^[1]^[2]
Injured	several
Perpetrators	OLA (Denied) Faqadaa Abdiisaa (OLA Claim)

On 5 March 2021, suspected Oromo Liberation Army gunmen attacked the village of Debos Kebele killing 29 civilians.

Attack

On 5 March 2021, gunmen believed to be aligned with the OLA attacked the village of Debos Kebele. At Abo church, civilians had gathered to celebrate Lent. Suspected OLA soldiers then entered the town and stormed the church where they shot and killed the administrator of the church. Oromo fighters removed about 28 people from the church and then raped the women. They then took the group to a forest called Gerji where all 28 people including 21 women and 7 children were executed.^[1]^[2]

Responsibility

Several witnesses claim OLA fighters carried out the massacre. The OLA soon released a statement on the attack claiming that they do not target people based on their ethnicity and that the attack was carried out by a rogue OLA splinter group led by Faqadaa Abdiisaa.^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b "NEWS: MORE THAN 40 CIVILIANS KILLED IN WESTERN OROMIA; REGIONAL GOV'T, OLA REBELS TRADE BLAME". addisstandard. 12 August 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
^ ^a ^b "Ethiopia: News - Gunmen Who Storm a Local Church Kill 29 in Horoguduru, Western Oromia". All Africa. 9 March 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
^ "Letter: "Our forces are absolutely not responsible" for recent killing in Horo Guduru: OLA Spokesperson". addisstandard. 10 March 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2021.

Oromo conflict (1973–present)

Background

Events

1973–2018	Battle of Tiro, 1974 Turbi massacre, 2005 Oromo protests, 2014–2016
OLA insurgency (2018–present)	Burayu massacre, 2018 Gawa Qanqa massacre, 2020 Abo church massacre, 2021 Ataye clashes, 2021 Shewa Robit ambulance massacre TDF–OLA joint offensive, 2021 Gimbi massacre, 2022 North Shewa clashes, 2022 Qelem Wollega massacre, 2022
Related	October 2019 Ethiopian clashes Hachalu Hundessa riots, 2020 Tigray war, 2020–2022 War in Amhara, 2023–present

Topics

Groups

Oromo Liberation Front (1973–2018)
Oromo Liberation Army (2018–present)
Islamic Front for the Liberation of Oromia (1985–1987)
Ethiopian Unity Patriots Front (1998–2012)

Conflicts in the Horn of Africa