One Chinese citizen killed in Ethiopia's Oromiya region

1/2/2023 6:41

        One Chinese citizen was
        killed in an attack on Monday in Ethiopia's Oromiya region, the
        Chinese embassy in the country said, and it warned other
        citizens in Ethiopia to exercise caution and build up safety
        awareness.
        
        Nine Chinese citizens in Gebre Guracha, a town in northern
        Oromiya, came under armed attack on Monday evening and one was
        shot dead, the Chinese embassy in Ethiopia said in a statement
        on Tuesday. It did not identify the perpetrators.
        
        A spokesperson for Ethiopia's foreign ministry was not
        immediately available for comment.
        
        The Chinese embassy added that border areas between Oromiya
        and other states have seen frequent armed attacks, kidnappings,
        and robberies, making security risks extremely high.
        
        Last week, unidentified gunmen briefly abducted dozens
        of workers of Nigeria's Dangote Cement in Oromiya
        region. They were later released unharmed, a company
        spokesperson told Reuters in an emailed statement on Monday.
        
        Hailu Adugna, spokesperson, for Oromiya's regional
        government, did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for
        comment on the abduction of Dangote Cement's workers.
        
        The violence in Oromiya is separate from a two-year war
        between the federal government and regional forces in the
        northern region of Tigray, which stopped in November, when the
        Ethiopian government and Tigray forces signed an agreement to
        end the hostilities.
        
        Oromos, Ethiopia's largest ethnic group, had hoped that
        their lot would improve after they helped Prime Minister Abiy
        Ahmed, who is of mixed Oromo-Amhara parentage, come to power in
        2018. However, many became disenchanted with Abiy and feel
        neglected by the government.