Tuesday, 02 January 2024 12:17 GMT

Over 200 Fighters Capitulate in Ethiopia's Western Oromia Region


(MENAFN) Ethiopian government forces secured the surrender of more than 200 armed combatants in the Western Oromia region Sunday, representing a significant shift in the protracted conflict engulfing the area, military officials announced.

The fighters had been conducting operations throughout the East Wollega Zone before relinquishing weapons following mediation efforts involving local administrators and security personnel, the military stated. Army sources attributed the mass surrender to combined pressure from ongoing security operations and parallel diplomatic initiatives.

Western Oromia has experienced prolonged hostilities between Ethiopian forces and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), a militant faction that broke away from the Oromo Liberation Front following a 2018 peace accord.

The organization maintains that systemic marginalization and governmental neglect of the Oromo population—Ethiopia's largest ethnic demographic—justify their armed resistance.

Ethiopian authorities have routinely publicized surrenders and defections throughout the conflict's duration, yet violence persists across multiple regional areas.

Independently confirming the magnitude and consequences of such announcements remains challenging given stringent access limitations and telecommunications blackouts imposed in conflict zones.

The OLA had not issued any statement regarding Sunday's military announcement by press time.

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