Gunmen kill more than 40 people in Ethiopia's Oromiya region

Residents of Oromiya describe the attackers as members of a volunteer militia known as Fano, mostly composed of ethnic Amharas

A tank damaged during the fighting between Ethiopia's National Defense Force (ENDF) and Tigray Special Forces stands on the outskirts of Humera town in Ethiopia, Jul 1, 2021. REUTERS

Gunmen killed at least 42 people in Ethiopia's Oromiya region, two residents who buried the bodies in mass graves said on Friday, the latest killings in the country's most populous region where escalating violence has left hundreds dead.

The latest attack by an armed group against local residents occurred on Tuesday, they said, in the Amuru district, around 370 km (230 miles) west of the capital Addis Ababa.

They said the victims were all Oromos and described the attackers as members of a volunteer militia known as Fano, mostly composed of ethnic Amharas.

Clashes between the Oromo and Amhara, Ethiopia's two largest ethnic groups, have been rising in recent months.

Oromiya has experienced years of violence amid accusations of neglect by the federal government in Addis Ababa.

Oromos account for more than a third of Ethiopia's total population of around 110 million.

One resident, who spoke by telephone but asked not to be named, said that locals had buried 22 people in one place, 15 in another, and five in a third spot.

The second resident said he compiled a list of 46 dead.

Both residents said the attackers, carrying rifles and numbering between 150-200 men, were speaking Amharic and wore a mish-mash of uniforms.

Neither Amhara nor Oromiya's regional administrations' spokesmen responded to requests for comment.