Ethiopia: South Ethiopia Police Report Deadly 'Heinous' Attack in Gamo Zone, Several Security Personnel Killed

What the report says

Addis Standard, distributed by AllAfrica, reported that the South Ethiopia Regional State Police Commission said several police officers and other security personnel were killed in an attack in Koshale Kebele, Geresse Zuria Woreda, in Ethiopia’s Gamo Zone. The commission described the incident as a sudden and serious assault that took place while the personnel were carrying out police duties. It said it was working to identify and apprehend those responsible, but did not provide details on the attackers or the exact circumstances.

The police commission released the names of nine people it said were killed, while the Gamo Zone Police Department separately mourned another officer, Assistant Sergeant Yoseph Umato, who it said died on 28 September while returning from a government mission. The article did not make clear whether that death was tied to the reported attack.

The report places the violence in a broader pattern of tension in the Gamo Zone, especially in areas linked to the Zayse community, where disputes over self-administration and governance have repeatedly sparked unrest. As background reported by Addis Standard, earlier incidents in 2026 and previous years involved killings, displacement, detentions and property destruction. Local officials have also been holding reconciliation discussions, indicating that authorities are trying to reduce tensions even as security problems continue.