Four farmers killed after abduction in South Ethiopia despite ransom payment
Addis Abeba – Four farmers were killed on Thursday in the Kore Zone of the South Ethiopia Region after being abducted by armed individuals, despite their families paying a ransom of 100,000 birr, according to the victims’ family members.
Family members told Deutsche Welle (DW) that the farmers were abducted on Thursday morning while herding cattle. The captors reportedly demanded a ransom of 100,000 Birr and one carton of cigarettes for their release.
“The armed individuals entered the kebele from the neighboring West Guji Zone of Oromia Region. After capturing them, they took them into a forest called Kaliya,” a relative of one of the deceased stated.
Despite the ransom being paid, the farmers were killed, according to the families.
The Kore Zone administration acknowledged the incident on its official Facebook page, attributing the act to “anti-peace groups operating in the area.”
Dr. Aweke Hamzaye, a representative of the Kore electoral district in the House of People’s Representatives, told Deutsche Welle that residents confirmed the abductors were a group of about 16 armed individuals.
He stated that similar security issues have occurred in the area previously and suggested potential measures to address the situation, including enhanced security operations or community-based security arrangements.
The incident occurs amid rising levels of abductions for ransom in several parts of the country. A recent report by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has highlighted an alarming increase in kidnappings across the Amhara and Oromia regions, linked to ongoing conflicts and a weakening of government administrative structures. AS
