Ethiopia: More Than 65 Killed in Armed Attack in Benishangul-Gumuz's Assosa Zone, Residents Say

What the report says

Residents in Ethiopia’s Benishangul-Gumuz Regional State say more than 65 people were killed in a heavily armed attack in Dalati locality, in Buldiglu Woreda of Assosa Zone, according to Addis Standard as distributed by AllAfrica. The article says the assault took place over two days, on 5 and 6 November, and targeted regional anti-riot police, local militias, special forces and civilians, including women and children.

The report cites local witnesses who described the attackers as heavily armed and says some were allegedly wearing former regional security uniforms. One regional police official, Mohammed Idriss, told BBC Amharic that the attack happened around 5 a.m. on Thursday and blamed the armed group known as OLF-Shene. His casualty breakdown totaled 52 deaths, while residents and some local reports put the toll higher, including more than 100 in some accounts. Addis Standard said it could not verify the larger figures independently.

The incident comes amid persistent insecurity in Benishangul-Gumuz, a region that has seen repeated violence, displacement and security operations in recent years. The article notes that the regional government had not issued an official statement at the time of publication, and that the exact circumstances, the identities of the perpetrators and any link to earlier security operations remain unclear. The discrepancy in casualty figures underscores the difficulty of confirming details in remote conflict areas.