Security forces in Ethiopia’s Oromia regional state have killed or arrested more than 1,100 Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) rebels, an Ethiopian official said on Friday.
Ararsa Merdasa, commissioner of the Oromia Police Commission, said more than 1,100 OLA rebels have been arrested or killed during security operations in recent weeks across the region.
Merdasa further said disciplinary measures have been taken on more than 1000 police officers suspected of forming secret ties to OLA. OLA is a breakaway faction of an ex-rebel group Oromo Liberation Front (OLF).
The OLF is an opposition political party, claiming to fight for the rights of ethnic Oromos who make up about 35 percent of Ethiopia’s 110 million-plus population.
The OLF was designated as a terrorist group by the Ethiopian parliament in 2011. OLF was removed from the terror list in July 2018 to help facilitate negotiations and foster reconciliation.
