Rights watchdog Amnesty International on Thursday called out Ethiopian authorities to urgently launch an impartial investigation into the killing of over 400 Amhara civilians in the Oromia region last month.
On June 18, a group of armed people reportedly began shooting randomly at the people in the village of Tole, with a predominantly Amhara population, killing hundreds of people, mostly women and children. They also reportedly burned down several houses, forcing at least 2,000 other people to flee their homes.
“These horrific killings in Tole, allegedly at the hands of the Oromo Liberation Army, reveal its perpetrators’ utter disregard for human life,” Deprose Muchena, Amnesty’s director for East and Southern Africa, said in a statement.
He added that the massacre, which also saw women and children lose their lives, must be independently and effectively investigated.
The Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), which is branded as a terrorist organization by the Ethiopian government, has been blamed for the attack, but authorities have also been criticised for failing to respond fast enough to the violence.
According to witnesses cited in the rights group’s report, the security forces arrived hours after the attackers had left despite being told about the attack much earlier.
The OLA has denied carrying out the attacks, and blamed the attack on a local militia group set up by the government.
The Ethiopian officials vowed to take measures in the wake of the attacks and promised to conduct investigations. But there are already some who have raised questions about the independence of a government-led probe.
The international rights group’s statement follows a call by UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet last month urging the Ethiopian authorities to conduct promt, impartial and thorough investigations into the Tole killings.
She also called on the authorities to take all necessary and lawful measures to ensure those abducted regain their freedom.
