News: Explosion at school in Finote Selam injures 25 students; four individuals sustain severe injuries
Addis Abeba – An explosive incident transpired at Damot Preparatory School, situated in the township of Finote Selam within Ethiopia’s Amhara region, on Thursday.
According to a statement released by the Amhara Regional Communications Bureau, the occurrence resulted in injuries to a minimum of 25 students.
The explosion occurred during the students’ examination period within their classrooms,” stated the announcement.
Four individuals sustained severe injuries, leading to the transfer of two to an alternate medical facility for additional treatment.
Authorities apprehended a student identified as Yohannes Tesfaye Shumet, alleging his involvement in detonating the explosive device. Yohannes incurred injuries to his hand and leg.
The communication issued by the regional authorities attributed the attack to an unidentified “extremist group,” asserting that they enlisted “a paid assassin group” to execute it.
The statement characterized the event as “a heinous act” reaching the pinnacle of terrorism.
As per the statement, this incident does not stand alone, as the same “extremist group” purportedly targeted other schools within the Amhara region previously. It accuses this group of specifically targeting children and disrupting the promising transformations underway in the region.
Furthermore, it alleges that the group, “unable to withstand the pressures exerted by security and defense forces,” has resorted to “intimidating farmers, bombing schools, engaging in theft, arrests, and perpetrating acts of murder and other atrocities.”
The communications bureau issued a directive to residents in the region, urging them to take measures to safeguard themselves and the environment against potential further attacks by the aforementioned group, which it asserted “is on its last breath.”
The Amhara region, currently under a federally declared state of emergency first imposed in August last year and extended by four months last month, has become a scene for severe violations of human rights following the ongoing militarized conflict involving government forces and the non-state Fano militia.
On Thursday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) of “summarily execution of several dozen civilians” in the region. The Fano militia also stand accused of targeting civilians on multiple occasions. AS
