An armed group seized control of a district in western Ethiopia on Thursday, resulting in civilian casualties and the kidnapping of staff. The Ethiopian government-appointed Human Rights Commission announced that the armed group took over the "Sidal Woreda" district in the "Kamashi" area of the Benishangul region, western Ethiopia. The commission stated that the district has been almost entirely under the control of the armed group since April 19, without specifying the group's name or affiliation.
The "Sidal Woreda" district is home to about 25,000 people, according to the commission's statement released on Wednesday evening. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam project is located in the Benishangul region, with a cost of $4 billion, and Ethiopia hopes the dam will help boost electricity production and improve its economic status. However, the dam project faces strong opposition from downstream countries, Egypt and Sudan, which have recently warned of the consequences of the second filling of the dam's reservoir.
The Benishangul region is home to several ethnic groups, including the Gumuz, the Agaw, the Shinasha, and the Amhara, and has seen increasing attacks against civilians. Residents fleeing the area reported that the armed group had burned and looted public and private property, while district administration officials and local police fled the region. The commission noted in its statement that there are additional reports of civilian and public employee casualties in the region. It added that the number of armed individuals exceeds that of the regional security forces, including those available in neighboring areas.
Ethiopia is currently experiencing clashes between various ethnic groups, including conflicts between Tigray and the Ethiopian army, as well as clashes between the Oromo and Amhara ethnic groups.
