17 banks were robbed in Oromia region over the weekend, in one of the largest cash robberies in Ethiopia history, reports say.
The first incident was on Saturday when eleven banks were raided and robbed and their properties damaged in Western Oromia and Qellem Wellega, according to West Wellega Zone administrator, Gemechis Temesgen who told BBC Amharic about it. A gang of gunmen raided and robbed the Ethiopian Commercial Bank, Cooperative Bank of Oromia, United Bank and Awash Bank at 11:00 a.m., all at the same time, before fleeing the scenes in their vehicles with an undisclosed haul of cash, he said. Other six banks were robbed on Sunday at 11:00 a.m., according to Tamene Hailu, administrator of Qellem who spoke to DW Amharic, making this an astonishing heist.
The officials said the banks were robbed and damaged, some of them completely devastated. ATMs and computers were blown up. In Sekela town, capital of Horro Buluki zone, government offices were burned and the Awash Bank robbed, an official from the Zone, Desalegn Terefe told BBC Amharic. The armed robbers went first to the house of the bank’s manager and forced him at gunpoint to take them to the bank and open the door. After gaining entry, since the manager did not have the key to the safe, they collected what they found inside the bank and left, taking away the bank manager along with them, he said. Four other bank employees were taken hostages in the nearby towns. The two were later freed, according to the officials. The amount stolen is not currently known and it is not possible at this stage to compile a complete report as there is security concern in the area, officials said.
Officials in Oromia region claimed the robbery was perpetrated by the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), led by Dawud Ibsa. Recently, OLF have been accusing of the Abiy Ahmed for breach of the peace accord signed by the two groups in Asmara on August aimed at encouraging the organisation to return to formal politics. The government has called for OLF fighters to immediately disarm, and says some of them have been carrying out crimes.
Let this be clear these banks were looted by OLF militia, a criminal separatist group lead by Dawd Ibsa.
Tplf did it to Oromo people; now they are doing it to themselves. Or is it Tplf doing it again? Remember the murder of cement manufacturing plant director in broad daylight? Remember the murder (reported as self-inflicted) of Engineer Semegnew Bekele on central square in Addis? Which group is so organized and armed to get away with that kind of crime? Where are investigative journalists when we need them the most?
This shows Dawud’s Olf agitation has reached fever pitch. Its armed bandare creating disorder. Bad for the ciuntry, bad for evryone.