Witnesses claim 320 people were killed in an Ethiopian gun attack.

On Saturday, gunmen invaded Ethiopia’s western Oromiya region, murdering at least 320 people. According to accounts released on Sunday, survivors described the massacre as one of the bloodiest in Ethiopia in recent years.

There was no evidence that the attack was linked to a conflict in Tigray’s northern province that began in November 2020 and has resulted in hundreds of fatalities and millions of people being displaced.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed had condemned “horrific crimes” in Oromiya earlier on Monday without providing any details. ‘Attacks on innocent residents and destruction of livelihoods by illegal and irregular soldiers are inexcusable,’ he added on Twitter.

For years, Oromiya, home to Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group, the Oromo, as well as members of other ethnic groupings, has been plagued by insecurity, originating from discontent with the central government’s political marginalisation and neglect. Although some Oromos believe he has abandoned the community’s interests, Abiy is an Oromo and Ethiopia’s first prime minister.

The victims were ethnic Amharas, a minority group in the area, according to two residents who reported the incident on Saturday.

There was no evidence linking the incident to a crisis in Tigray’s northern region that started in November 2020 and has killed thousands of people and displaced millions.

The incident occurred in Oromia’s western region, in the western Wollega zone’s Gimbi district. 260 persons were slain, according to one neighbour, while 320 were slaughtered, according to another. Residents were afraid of being identified and refused to give their names.

A witness reported on Sunday that the local Amhara people wished to be relocated ‘before another round of mass murders,’ adding that ethnic Amharas who had been resettled in the area for around 30 years were being ‘slaughtered like chickens.’

The Oromo Liberation Army was blamed by the Oromia regional government in a statement, which said the rebels attacked ‘after being unable to oppose [federal] security forces’ operations.’

The Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) is a banned breakaway group of the Oromo Liberation Front, a once-banned opposition party that emerged from exile after Abiy was elected president in 2018. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which has been fighting the Ethiopian federal government in the north, formed an alliance with the group last year. The TPLF was not suspected of being engaged in the attack at Gimbi on Saturday.

The OLA has been forced to flee several areas where it had previously wielded great power due to a new government offensive in recent months. Last week, the group conducted a series of counterattacks, which resulted in the massacre.