At least 19 people were killed and 8 wounded in a surprise attack on a bus. Tensions have been on the rise in Gambella, Ethiopia. There has been much anger at the government as people are evicted from their land that is being sold to wealthy foreigners. The most recent killings took place as calls have increased for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to bring Prime Minister Meles Zenawi to justice for the massacre of over 425 people in Gambella in 2003.
“An atmosphere of terror continues to permeate innocent people in Gambella as crimes of inhumanity against them are so regular that it has become part of their everyday life, changing even the most basic life events such as traveling between towns. Yesterday March 12, a minibus traveling from Godere district to Gambella city was attacked by unknown assailants. 17 people or more were reported killed. It is a hideous act that must be condemned. Details are sketchy at this time. We are trying our best to find out more information. We will keep you post it.” — Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia (SMNE) statement, March 13, 2012
Ethiopia official says gunmen kill 19, wound 8, in bus attack in country’s southwest
By Associated Press
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — An Ethiopian official says unknown gunmen in the country’s southwest have killed 19 people in an attack on a public bus.
The president of Ethiopia’s Gambella region said Tuesday that eight people were wounded.
Omod Obang Olum said the victims were Ethiopian residents traveling in a public bus that got ambushed near a town called Bonga by attackers with machine guns.
He says Gambella security forces are still chasing down the attackers. He said he had no detailed information about the attackers’ objectives.
Gambella is a traditionally marginalized area of the country that suffers internal conflicts over resources like water and land. It also is affected by its border with South Sudan, as refugees pour across into Gambella when violence erupts in that newly independent nation.
18 thoughts on “19 killed in Gambella, Ethiopia attack – govt. blames “unkown gunmen””
Another heartbreaking and a never ending nightmares of Ethiopians. Hmmmm! Unknown gunmen! Who among us with the exception of woyanes, believe that the gunmen were unknown? One has to be a total moron or mentally challenged person who cannot think for him/herself. I believe, the heartless unknown gunmen are the woyanes that have the experience of gunning down innocent people or may be, the foreign landowners who see Ethiopians as less than human.
Just a while ago some 78 Ethiopian soldiers killed in the east that is to say, Somalia. And now 19 Ethiopians killed in the west, that is to say Bonga,Gambella. My condolence but why is that country always infested with chaos, insecurity and massacres?
“Gambella is a traditionally marginalized area of the country that suffers internal conflicts over resources like water and land.” the source stated.
But this statement is total lie to say the least. Gambella is not suffering from scarce resources but rather suffering from the overabundance of scarce resources, specially overabundant fertile virgin farm lands being generously distributed among foreign money men for a token and reducing the Gambellas to nothing more than degraded and dehumanized slaves. If the fertile abundant virgin farm lands are more than enough for the wealthy international communities, how come that it can be described as scarce for its owners in Gambella? :)
All the signs are there that the regime has lost pupolar support to govern as we incresingly see the public postuting for self defece.The dis agreement between the Muslems in Jima and the government,TPLF’s decission to take the WALDBA Monasttry land by force in northern Gondar,the growing security crisis in Gmbella as a result of TPLF’s forced relocation of natives,and the TPLF’s decission to force the repatration of Amharas from the southern states are all some of the symptoms of a broken system under degenerat despot. What is even shacking is the fact oppostion politcal leaders are out of touch with reality and appear to be put in mute.
Feel sad for innocent caught up. My sympthy to their families and loved ones.
Woyanne is the blood sucking insect on the dying flesh of Ethiopians.
We shall overcome.
I think Karuturi and others who have grabbed land from the natives have to leave immeadiately to avoid the killings, which is very unfortunate.
Ethiopian enemy TPLF is the make this kind mass killing to belame innocent Gambella people.TPLF does anything unhuman for his own political benefit.Now excuse himself to invade this fertile land and destroy those defenseless people
When will such madness end? Why are we killing each other for so long and so often? Will it end?
Who is the culprit, I think this unknown gun man should be am agent of Woyane, because tge rebels there had selectively killed government officials and foreign agent workers without harming other civilians. I do not think the rebels will kill innocent civilians indiscriminately , but this action taken by Woyane to raise public hatred against the rebel and classify them as a terrorist group. Who ever take the action , the Daudi Star, Indian Kutari group and other agents will pay the price for their gift from Woyane, these investors are not gone collect their harvest rather they are gone see in their eyes the burning of their rice, cotton , maize and other cash crops soon. It is a very strategic response from the rebels to pay tribute to the looters. These so called investors has already paid millions of dollars to Woyane officers to get these lands almost for free for 99 years. It is high time for these investors to leave the place and handover all the equipment to Ethiopians and the rightful owners. This is also a good lesson Woyane understand the power of the gun. They came by gun and they will go by gun.This is also the right time for tge Tigray people to stand united with other Ethiopians and remove Woyane to built a country with rule of law instead of nepotism, tribalism, favouritism. The majority of Tigryans will not be benefited from these regime but the few , as mist of the tigrayans are hostage of TPLF .
They (Wayane) didn’t blame Eritrea yet? First, My condolence goes to the family of vitums.This is excatly what Waane’s aim was to finsh people each other and he will stay for ever the monarch.
God save Ethiopia from her selfish and self centered sons and I hope one day all Ethiopians will wack-up and recognize thier true problem instead Ethiopia only to be “Ethiopianins”. This time Ethiopianism close none exist but always I am optimistic will created and free from consuming each other they will complement as Ethiopians.
This is another houzen set by tigree rigem
Is the dummy president (Girma Weldegeorgis, that is) one of the victims?
Woyane will say now unknown Gun men trained by Shabia was behind it.
Last year the woyane Government also accused Eritrea for training the Bird “amora” who killed the woyane singers.
Here we go! This is the second attack. In 2005 this group selectively killed all light skin passengers by stopping bus in the middle of the jungle. After 7 years they repeated the same thing. They need to focus on their enemies who are currently leasing their land, forcing them to flee & exploiting their ancestor’s land. Killing students & innocent peoples is nothing to do with counterattacking crimes being committed by TPLF gangs! RIP!
According to one of their own members of TPLF eye witness testimony, from the get go, Meles and the rest of TPLF members solved problems by gunning down even their own men for minor things such as, having sexual contact with one of the women and the women also gunned down if they were found to be pregnant. Unknown gunmen? what a bunch of bull s..t! Our beloved country and our people are under a group of people who are heartless, coldblooded killers, who see Ethiopians as insects and the deaths of Ethiopians brings the tplf hoodlums satisfactions like seasonal deer hunters. Lying, misinforming Ethiopians and the rest of the world, Robbing the country, leaving the country landlocked, giving away and selling Ethiopia’s land, Selling Ethiopia’s natural resources and hiding the money in various banks around the world to their personal accounts, selling young Ethiopian women to Arabs to do whatever the Arabs want to do to these young Ethiopian women, with no one to lookout for the best interest and dignity of these young girls, locking up countless number of Ethiopians in prison, torturing and gunning down innocent people…has been the job of TPLF for 21 years. UNKNOWN GUNMEN! what a bold-faced lie!
Here we go! This is the second attack. In 2005 this group selectively killed all light skin passengers by stopping bus in the middle of the jungle. After 7 years they repeated the same thing. They need to focus on their enemies who are currently leasing their land, forcing them to flee & exploiting their ancestor’s land. Killing students & innocent peoples is nothing to do with solving crimes being committed by TPLF gangs! RIP!
i am currently living in gambella. As we all (non-indigenous resident of gambella) know the gunmens are racist indeginous gambellan peaople( the angnuak) who stand against the non-indiginous people. They have kiled only our peaople lefting their race peacfuly(picking the blackes).
Anonymous replies:
March 16th, 2012 at 7:54 AM
Who is fool enough to believe that you are living in Gambela? Ethiopians know the real UNKNOWN GUNMEN ARE. Countless number of Ethiopians have been gunned down in different parts of Ethiopia for the last 21 years by the hands of Woyanes.