Benishangul-Gumuz conflict

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Benishangul-Gumuz conflict
Part of Ethiopian civil conflict (2018–present)
Benishangul-Gumuz in Ethiopia.svg
Location of Benishangul-Gumuz in Ethiopia
Date23 June 2019 – present
Location
Benishangul-Gumuz, Ethiopia
Status Ongoing
Belligerents

 Ethiopia

Benishangul-Gumuz Region Gumuz militias[2][3]

  • Gumuz Liberation Front
  • Buadin
  • Gumuz People’s Democratic Movement

Oromo Liberation Army[4]
Tigray People's Liberation Front (Alleged)[4]

Support:
 Sudan (Gumuz militiamen only)[5]
 Egypt (alleged by Ethiopia)[6]
Commanders and leaders
Ethiopia Sahle-Work Zewde
Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed
Ethiopia

Gumuz Millitia(Buadin)[7][3]

unknown
Strength
500+[citation needed]
Casualties and losses
unknown Benishangul-Gumuz Region 137 killed[8][9]
28 killed[10][8]
437 – 537 Civilians killed[11][12][13][14][15]
Estimated 100,000 internally displaced & 7,000 refugees[6]

The Benishangul-Gumuz conflict is an armed conflict mostly in the Metekel Zone of the Benishangul-Gumuz Region in Ethiopia that started in 2019.[4]

Background[]

Benishangul-Gumuz is home to several different ethnicities including the Gumuz, Berta, Shinasha, Mao, Komo and Fadashi. The Gumuz have had tensions with agricultural Amhara, Oromos, Tigrayans and Agaw migrants, who in Metekel Zone constitute minority ethnic groups with some Amhara groups calling for Metekel to be incorporated into Amhara. Large scale land acquisitions by both local and foreign investors have pushed the Gumuz off the land.[16][17] Gumuz are alleged to have formed militias such as Buadin and the Gumuz Liberation Front that have staged attacks against those seen as "settlers".[18][3][19] Local officials admitted and then apologized for orchestrating ethnic killings as a way to push back against the ruling Prosperity Party which was alleged to be planning to eliminate self rule for the country's ethnic groups.[16] The Chairman of an Amhara group called Fano, Solomon Atanaw, said in March 2020 that Fano would not disarm without Metekel zone being part of Amhara Region.[20] At a public meeting with prime minister Abiy Ahmed on 22 December, Zebid Budna of Kamashi Zone attributed the violence to an Oromo Liberation Army group "OLF/Shanne".[21]

Around this time, the federal government was waging a war with the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and has often blamed the TPLF for problems around the country.[17] , president of the Benishangul-Gumuz Region, blamed the (TPLF) as holding the main responsibility[4] and stated that there were many groups associated with political parties encouraging the armed conflict. He blamed the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) as holding the main responsibility.[4]

Benishangul-Gumuz is also home to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which has caused tensions with neighboring Sudan and Egypt because of the dam's effect on the Nile river downstream. Sudan recently laid claim to Guba district in the Metekel zone closest to Sudan where the GERD lies, citing the belief that Guba was gifted to Emperor Menelik II by Khalifa Abdullahi.[16] The government has blamed Egypt of meddling in Benishangul-Gumuz. The federal Ethiopian government, run by Prosperity Party (PP), attributed major responsibility for massacres to the TPLF and to the Egyptian government in relation to the GERD, with Towabeb Mehret of the PP stating, "The groups who are benefiting from this [violence] are terrorists getting orders from the TPLF".[17] Assosa University researcher criticised this point of view, stating that the government "should not externalise problems and point fingers at political opposition parties. It should try to understand the real causes [of the violence] and address [them]."[17]

Timeline[]

2019[]

23 June[]

The Amhara Region coup d'état attempt took place on 22 June 2019. Early on the morning of 23 June, armed men suspected to be supportive of the leader of the attempted coup killed 37 people and wounded 18 in the Metekel Zone.[22]

2020[]

September[]

Weeks of attacks on civilians took place in Metekel Zone in early September, especially in . Online social media estimated 150 deaths, which Atinkut Shitu, administrator of Metekel Zone, disputed. According to social media as summarised by Addis Standard, the targets were ethnic Amharans. Officials stated that the attacks had no ethnic motivations.[23]

October

12–40 people were killed over a personal dispute over a stolen firearm in Metekel zone. Amhara politicians claim it was an attack on members of the Amhara ethnic group by Gumuz militias.[18]

14 November[]

Main article: 2020 Ethiopia bus attack

The 14 November bus attack on a passenger bus in Benishangul-Gumuz killed 34 people.[24]

December[]

In December 2020, Ashadli stated that federal and regional security forces were coordinating in "annihilating 'anti-peace forces', arresting them, and confiscating firearms".[4] Vice-president of the Benishangul-Gumuz Region, Getahun Abdisa, described the region's actions in terms of a "coordinated effort between the regional government, the federal government, the regional police, anti-insurgency and security forces" of detaining members of "criminal groups".[25] On 21 December 2020, the Benishangul-Gumuz Command Post stated that it was carrying out a "door-to-door hunt" of suspected perpetrators of the violence.[21]

8 December

The command post of Metekel zone killed 23 insurgents reportedly associated with the TLPF in Dangur.[10]

15 December[]

Civilians were killed in the Dangur and Dibate woredas on 15 December. Amhara Region officials stated that the victims were Amharans killed for their ethnic identity. Benishangul-Gumuz officials disagreed with the identifying the conflict as "communal violence between various nations".[25] Addis Standard estimated on 22 December that Metekel Zone attacks had killed 24 people.[21]

22–23 December[]

Main article: Metekel massacre

On the night of 22–23 December 2020, a massacre and burning down of houses took place in Bikuji kebele in Metekel Zone.[26][4] As of 23 December 2020, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission counted 100 deaths. Other sources state 220 were killed[26] of mostly Amharas, Oromos, and Shinashas by a suspected Gumuz militia.[17] Authorities responded by killing 42 suspects and arresting seven officials.[9][27][28]

2021[]

12 January[]

Between 5:00 and 7:00 on the morning of 12 January in Daletti in the Metekel Zone, 82 civilians were killed and 22 injured in an attack, according to the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC).[29]

26 February[]

On 26 February, "government security forces" killed 26 unarmed civilians in Dibate.[30]

April[]

An unidentified armed group took over the county of Sedal Woreda in the Kamashi Zone of the Benishangul-Gumuz Region in April 2021.[31]

May[]

On May 18, members of the Gumuz People’s Democratic Movement (GPDM) signed a memorandum of understanding with the regional government agreeing to undergo re-integration training in the region. Despite this, other armed groups like the Gumuz People’s Liberation Movement continued to perpetrate violent attacks against civilian populations delaying the Ethiopian election. Later on in the month, on May 22, suspected members of the Gumuz People’s Liberation Movement entered into Nejo woreda, Oromo Region, and killed 6 people and injured one. They also burned down houses.[32]

July[]

On July 28, the government said they had killed 95 members of the Gumuz People’s Democratic Movement (GPDM) in an operation in , Sherkole district. 5 members of the TPLF were also said to be killed.[8]

Peace process[]

On 22 December 2020, Abiy Ahmed held talks with Metekel Zone residents, Minister of Peace Muferiat Kamil, army Chief of Staff Birhanu Jula Gelalcha, Ashadli Hussein, and other officials.[21]

In December 2020, Ashadli stated that the Ministry of Peace would coordinate the creation of a reconciliation committee consisting of people from the Benishangul-Gumuz and Amhara Regions.[4]

By late February 2021, several peace forums had been held in Gilgil Beles, the capital of Metekel Zone. The federal government started creating a "multi-ethnic self-defence militia", which had 9000 members as of February 2021. , a researcher at Assosa University was critical of the creation of the militia, stating, "Arming unarmed groups is like encouraging revenge, and puts the area into an endless conflict trap."[17]

Casualties[]

Massacres of civilians[]

Mass killings of civilians in Metekel Zone started on 23 June 2019, the day following the Amhara Region coup d'état attempt,[22] and continued in September,[23] October,[18] November,[24] and December 2020,[25][26][4] and in January[29] and February 2021.[30]

Displaced people[]

More than a hundred thousand people were displaced by the conflict as of February 2021[17] and 7,000 have fled to neighboring Sudan.[16]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ ANALYSIS: WEEKS LONG ATTACKS ON CIVILIANS LEAVE SEVERAL DEAD, INJURED IN METEKEL ZONE, BENISHANGUL GUMUZ REGION, retrieved September 16, 2010
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "All Is Not Quiet on Ethiopia's Western Front". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Benishangul: At least 60 civilians mostly women, children killed". borkena.com. 12 January 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i Mekonnen, Siyanne; Fasil, Mahlet (2020-12-23). "News Alert: Eyewitnesses say more than 90 killed in fresh attack in Bulen Wereda, Benishangul Gumuz; region cautions civilians to join safe villages". Addis Standard. Archived from the original on 2020-12-23. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
  5. ^ "Containing the Volatile Sudan-Ethiopia Border Dispute". Crisis Group. 2021-06-24. Retrieved 2021-07-30.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b Etefa, Tsega. "What's causing the violence in western Ethiopia". The Conversation. Retrieved 2021-05-23.
  7. ^ More than 30 killed in militia attacks in western Ethiopia, retrieved September 18, 2020
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Benishangul authorities says over 100 armed rebels annihilated". Borkena Ethiopian News. 2021-07-29. Retrieved 2021-07-30.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b "Defence army takes measures against 42 anti-peace elements in Metekel zone". Fana Broadcasting Corporation. 2020-12-24. Archived from the original on 2020-12-25. Retrieved 2020-12-25.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b "Command post kills 23 insurgents in western Ethiopia – New Business Ethiopia". Retrieved 2020-12-26.
  11. ^ "Benishangul-Gumuz: Attackers kill dozens in western Ethiopia". 23 December 2020 – via www.bbc.com.
  12. ^ "Analysis: Weeks long attacks on civilians leave several dead, injured in Metekel zone, Benishangul Gumuz region". 16 September 2020.
  13. ^ "News: PM Abiy meets Metekel residents to discuss security; meeting comes a day after door-to-door 'hunt' launched to control "criminal groups" behind attacks on civilians". 22 December 2020.
  14. ^ Reuters Staff (25 December 2020). "Death toll from attack in western Ethiopia reaches 222, Red Cross says" – via www.reuters.com.
  15. ^ "Over 80 civilians killed in latest west Ethiopia attack". www.aljazeera.com.
  16. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Etefa, Tsega (16 March 2021). "What's causing the violence in western Ethiopia". Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Gerth-Niculescu, Maria (2021-02-23). "Anger, fear run deep after months of ethnic violence in western Ethiopia – 'They killed people using knives, arrows, and guns.'". New Humanitarian. Archived from the original on 2021-03-29. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
  18. ^ Jump up to: a b c "12 killed in latest attack in western Ethiopia". News24. Retrieved 2020-12-26.
  19. ^ "More than 100 killed in latest ethnic massacre in Ethiopia". AP. 2020-12-23. Archived from the original on 2020-12-23. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
  20. ^ "Fano Will Not Lay Down Arms If Demands Are Not Met: Chairman". . 2020-03-28. Archived from the original on 2020-12-02. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
  21. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Mekonnen, Siyanne (2020-12-22). "News: PM Abiy meets Metekel residents to discuss security; meeting comes a day after door-to-door 'hunt' launched to control 'criminal groups' behind attacks on civilians". Addis Standard. Archived from the original on 2020-12-23. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
  22. ^ Jump up to: a b Meseret, Elias (2019-06-26). "Ethiopia: 37 killed in another region after coup attempt". AP. Archived from the original on 2020-12-23. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
  23. ^ Jump up to: a b Mekonnen, Siyanna; Abera, Etenesh (2020-09-16). "Analysis: Weeks long attacks on civilians leave several dead, injured in Metekel zone, Benishangul Gumuz region". Addis Standard. Archived from the original on 2020-12-23. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
  24. ^ Jump up to: a b "Benishangul-Gumuz: Attackers kill dozens in western Ethiopia". BBC News. 2020-12-23. Archived from the original on 2020-12-23. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
  25. ^ Jump up to: a b c Mekonnen, Siyanne (2020-12-17). "News: As killings of civilians continue in Metekel, authorities in Benishagul Gumuz, Amhara regional states step up blames". Addis Standard. Archived from the original on 2020-12-23. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
  26. ^ Jump up to: a b c "More than 100 killed in latest ethnic massacre in Ethiopia". AP. 2020-12-23. Archived from the original on 2020-12-23. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
  27. ^ "Ethiopian troops kill 42 armed men behind deadly village attack, reports state TV". Al Arabiya. 2020-12-24. Archived from the original on 2020-12-25. Retrieved 2020-12-25.
  28. ^ Reuters
  29. ^ Jump up to: a b "Over 80 civilians killed in latest west Ethiopia massacre: EHRC". Al Jazeera English. 2021-01-13. Archived from the original on 2021-01-13. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
  30. ^ Jump up to: a b Mekonnen, Siyanne (2021-03-08). "News: Security forces kill scores of civilians, arrest several in Metekel after attack by rebels killed three, wounded seven; Ethiopia accuses Egypt & Sudan for persistent violence". Addis Standard. Archived from the original on 2021-03-17. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  31. ^ Reuters Staff (22 April 2021). "Armed group takes control of county in western Ethiopia - rights commission" – via www.reuters.com.
  32. ^ "EPO Monthly: May 2021 | Ethiopia Peace Observatory". 2021-06-09. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
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