July 15 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Ethiopian authorities have imposed a curfew in the city of Gambela (west) to try to “control illegal activities”, after the fighting in recent weeks with members of the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) armed group.
The head of the Communications office of the regional authorities, Ugetu Ading, has stated that the measure has been applied due to the “recent security disturbances in the city of Gambela” to “guarantee the safety of the community”, as reported by the Addis Standard newspaper.
The city of Gambela was the scene in mid-June of clashes between security forces and members of the OLA and the Gambela Liberation Army (GLA), incidents that left at least 40 dead, according to local authorities.
The OLA, after the 2018 peace agreement, has claimed responsibility for several attacks in recent months -especially in Oromia-, after announcing an alliance with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Tigray (TPLF) in the framework of the conflict unleashed in November 2020 in the Tigray region (north).
The OLF had been fighting for decades for the secession of the Oromia region, but in 2018 it announced that it was giving up the armed struggle, accepting the amnesty offer from Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (also an Oromo). The Oromos are the majority ethnic group in Ethiopia but have traditionally been marginalized from power.
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