Heavily armed men killed more than 65 people in Dalati locality of Buldiglu Woreda, in Ethiopia's Benishangul-Gumuz Regional State, residents told Addis Standard. The attackers targeted regional anti-riot police, local militias and special forces. They also killed civilians, including women and children.
Residents said about 45 of the dead were members of the region's security forces. At least 27 were civilians. Several local reports put the toll above 100, but Addis Standard said it could not independently verify those figures.
One eyewitness said some of the attackers wore the region's former security uniform. Another said the fighting lasted almost two days, with no intervention from federal forces. Local security forces could not contain it until the following day, the witness said. A 65-year-old farmer said his younger brother was killed in the crossfire. He had been searching pharmacies for medicine for his bedridden wife. The farmer said the fighting was so intense that families waited several hours before they could collect the bodies.
Regional Police Commissioner Mohammed Idriss confirmed the attack to BBC Amharic. He said it began at about 5 a.m. on Thursday, November 5. He blamed the armed group the government calls "OLF-Shene". His breakdown listed 21 civilians, 18 anti-riot police officers and 13 militia members, a total of 52. Dalati borders Oromia Region. The regional government had not issued an official statement when Addis Standard published its report.
Benishangul-Gumuz has seen repeated armed violence, counterinsurgency operations and displacement. Regional authorities signed a deal with the Gumuz People's Democratic Movement in October 2022. A peace accord with the Benishangul People's Liberation Movement followed in Khartoum in December 2022. In June 2024, authorities declared peace agreements with the remaining elements of both groups successfully concluded. The Oromo Liberation Army has repeatedly denied military involvement in the conflicts in Metekel and Kamashi zones.
The attack came less than three weeks after the regional police commission announced a "coordinated security operation" on October 22. A regional police commander alleged that the targeted faction served the agenda of the Tigray People's Liberation Front, with support from Sudan, Egypt and Eritrea. A federal army officer said the group had entered from Sudan in three vehicles. Addis Standard said these allegations could not be independently verified.