Addis Abeba –Armed individuals, reported by local residents to be “affiliated with Tigrayan forces,” attacked a gathering of young people outside Midre-Genet Primary School in Alamata town yesterday, 01 October, 2024. This incident resulted in the tragic deaths of at least two individuals and the injury of eleven others.”
An anonymous resident informed Addis Standard that the attack took place during a protest against the reopening of schools.
“While there is a need to reopen schools, some residents, particularly the youth, protested the reopening in Alamata town,” he explained. “They argued that schools should remain closed until the conflicts in the Amhara region are resolved.”
Eyewitnesses reported that the gunmen opened fire on a crowd gathered outside Kebele 03 Midre-Genet Primary School.
According to the resident, seven of the injured individuals sustained serious injuries.
The resident also observed that, despite the violence, federal security forces have yet to take any action.
An anonymous high school teacher also informed Addis Standard that the incident had intensified tensions in the region and heightened concerns regarding prolonged conflict.
He argued that it was inappropriate to engage in conflict over the issue of education, emphasizing the importance of continuing classes as long as there is peace in the region.
According to the teacher, those who are opposing the reopening of schools can only disrupt the normal schedule of the teaching and learning process, “potentially hindering students’ progress compared to their peers in other parts of the country.”
This is not the only incident that has occurred during rallies in Alamata in recent months.
In early June 2024, Addis Standard reported that, following protest rallies by residents of Alamata in the southern Tigray zone over the alleged killing of an electricity worker by “TPLF militants,” one person was killed, and another seriously injured. Additionally, two more individuals sustained injuries the following day.
Southern Tigray, including Alamata and its surrounding areas, has been one of the areas occupied by forces from the Amhara region since the outbreak of war in Tigray in November 2020.
In May 2024, Lieutenant General Tadesse Werede, Vice President of the Tigray Interim Administration, announced that the administration in Raya, southern Tigray, which needed to be dismantled, had collapsed, and the militant group had withdrawn from the area.
“The focus is now on peacefully resolving the remaining issues,” he said.
However, Lt. Gen. Tadesse criticized the lack of visible action by the federal government in West Tigray, stating, “We will not allow another winter to pass without progress and refuse to be complicit in this inaction.”
Three months ago, Getachew Reda, President of the Tigray Interim Administration, announced via social media that Tigrayan forces had begun withdrawing from the villages of Garjale and Baqlo Manaqia near Alamata.
President Getachew emphasized that this decision aims to ensure the safe return of Tigrayan internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their homes, in line with the implementation of the Pretoria Peace Agreement.
He also hinted at further actions to facilitate the broader return of displaced Tigrayans.
Last week, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) revealed that, in recent months, 56,000 people have been repatriated to their places of origin in Tigray, with the majority returning to areas such as Alamata and Tselmti. AS
