One killed, three abducted as suspected Murle militia terrorise Ethiopia

At least one person has been killed and three children abducted after a suspected Murle militia encroached to Ethiopia’s Gambela region, authorities have said.

The Gambela regional press secretariat office said in a statement Thursday that the group crossed the border and attacked Dima refugee camp and Gog district leaving two people injured and three children missing.

Head of the regional press secretariat office Mr Ogetu Ading lamented that attacks by the militia group have been recurrent because the border that shares the region with South Sudan is widely open and unprotected.

“Murle’s armed forces crossed the border yesterday and took three children in Dima woreda refugee shelter station and 2 people were injured,” he said.

“In addition to this, it has been announced that one person has died due to an attack on a motorcycle that goes from Gog district to Tedo Kebele,” he added.

Ogetu said recently, a driver and his assistant have died due to an attack on a truck that was travelling from Gambela City to the Nuwer zone.

The head of the regional press secretariat office appealed to the regional forces to take proactive measures to end the spate of attacks by the militia group crossing into the region from South Sudan.

“The region is urging its special forces and militia to maintain peace and security in the areas which have been attacked. The Murle tribe armed forces may enter everywhere. So the community should be on alert,” he said.

“It should be remembered that the Murle armed men have recently entered the Nuwer zone and Anguwa zones and kidnapped 4 children and robbed cattle and 11 people have lost their lives,” Ogetu added.

In January this year, another group of armed men believed to be from the Murle community encroached on the Gambela region and waged an attack in Nwer Zone killing eight people and injuring five.