Gunmen kill 30 people in western Ethiopia, witnesses say

Attack that wounded 15 others was blamed on a splinter group from the Oromo Liberation Front.

Gunmen killed at least 30 civilians in an attack on a village in the Ethiopian region of Oromia, witnesses said on Wednesday, the latest outbreak of ethnic violence to challenge the federal government. Farmer Wossen Andaege, 50, said his neighbours were killed during the Tuesday night attack in the West Wollega Zone of Oromia. He identified the victims as ethnic Amharas. “We took the bodies using a car and we buried 30 people,” said Wossen told Reuters news agency by phone. He said he and his family heard gunshots and fled to a nearby government office to wait for protection from federal troops.