ETHIOPIA: Militants Killed 32 people in Oromia Region

ADDIS ABABA: An armed group active in Ethiopia’s restive Oromia region has killed at least 32 civilians in a weekend “massacre”, the national rights body said on Monday, adding that the true toll could be higher.

The attackers, who authorities said were from the Oromo Liberation Army, a group that broke off from a once-banned political party, attacked three villages in the West Welega Zone. They killed the victims after luring them to a school compound, then plundered what they could from the three villages and set everything else on fire.

The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, an independent national rights group, said in a statement posted on Twitter that there were up to 60 assailants. The commission, which put the death toll at 32 but said the final number was likely to be higher, said the attack came a day after federal forces had pulled out from the area even though it was susceptible to attacks.