Air strike targeting militias kills ‘many civilians’ in west Ethiopia

Report surfacing from multiple sources indicates that an air strike has killed many civilians in the Ethiopian western town of Mandi, about 500km (310 miles) west of the capital Addis Ababa.

Sources available to the media portend that the strike occurred around afternoon on Wednesday in the area where Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) militias have been in control for days after a fight with government security forces.

An unnamed resident informed the BBC that the government was targeting the militias but majority of those who were killed and wounded were civilians.
He confirmed that an OLA vehicle parked by the roadside was hit by a drone killing scores of civilians around the area.

The witness’ friend and a gospel preacher Tariku Wanna, a father of one daughter whom he said had lunch together at the area before he left him to go somewhere was among those who died. Effort to reach out to Tariku’s wife was abortive as she was in a state of complete shock and bewilderment.

The number of civilians killed in the air strike was put to at least 20.

Politicians have condemned the attack with the Oromo Liberation Party calling it “barbaric” asking the government not to target civilians.
As of the time of filing in this report, the Ethiopian government has not commented on the matter.