Gunmen killed at least 42 people in Ethiopian Oromiya region, according to two locals who buried the bodies in mass graves, the latest killings in the country’s most populous region, where escalating violence has resulted in hundreds of deaths.
The latest attack by an armed group against local residents took place on Tuesday, they said, in the Amuru district, about 370 km west of the capital Addis Ababa.
They said the victims were all Oromos and described the attackers as members of a voluntary militia known as Fano, made up mostly of Amharas.
In recent months, clashes have intensified between the Oromo and the Amhara, the two largest ethnic groups in Ethiopia.
Oromiya endured years of violence amid allegations of negligence from the Addis Ababa federal government.
The Oromo make up more than a third of Ethiopia’s total population of approximately 110 million.
One resident, who spoke to Reuters on the phone but asked not to be named, said residents buried 22 people in one location, 15 in another and five in a third.
The second resident said he made a list of 46 dead.
The two residents said the attackers, who carried guns and numbered between 150 and 200 men, spoke Amharic and wore a mixture of uniforms.
Neither Amhara nor Oromiya regional government spokespersons responded to requests for comment.