Disclaimer: This is an English translation of an Amharic article taken from DW Amharic and is intended solely for information purposes.
An entire autobus of travelers missing in a recent abduction
March 25, 2025
On March 16, 2025 (Megabit 7, 2017 EC) more than 50 people went missing after reportedly being abducted from a public transportation bus departing from Addis Ababa en route to Debre Markos.
The alleged abduction of all passengers aboard the autobus reportedly took place near Alidoro which is said to be a dangerous location near Gerba Guracha town of North Shewa Zone in Oromia Region, and thus far little is known about what happened. The zonal government structure stated it is investigating the matter.
His name is Maru Shefie. He drives a heavy freight truck. His daily routine involves transporting various commercial goods from Addis Ababa passing through Gojjam to Gonder and the surrounding area. On the morning of Sunday, March 16, 2025 (Megabit 7, 2017 EC) he began his journey on the perilous Addis Ababa to Gojjam road. Maru told Deutsche Welle that day as he passed Fiche and Gerba Guracha, he saw something in the Alidoro area of Degem Woreda, which is considered unsafe for drivers.
The abduction
“It was 8:30 am on Sunday. As the vehicles were traveling one after another I was fourth in line. I was carrying goods. There was a Giyon Bus with plate number A-30273 carrying passengers and in front of it was an Abay bus which they opened fire on, and as it drove by they shot the tire of the Giyon bus, forcibly stopped it. Then we turned back and stopped in Fiche town. I personally witnessed militants with their hair grown out forcibly dismounting all the passengers aboard the Giyon bus. At the time I was carrying materials worth millions so I could not simply leave the vehicle behind so fearing they would burn the vehicle I turned it around and traveled to Fiche” says Maru.
The eyewitness said all the travelers were going to Debre Markos city in Amhara Region and that the militants carried out the abduction as four vehicles were traveling one after another. The militants who carried out the abduction had a brief exchange of gunfire with government security forces however they did not manage to rescue the captives says the eyewitness.
“We saw them from a close distance as they forcibly took the passengers away” said the eyewitness source, security forces arrived late to the area after the vehicle was already struck so they were unable to rescue the hostages, he explained. He said the vehicle with the front tire that was struck from which the passengers were taken was later retrieved in the presence of security forces later that evening. The source said they were aware of 58 people being taken including the vehicle’s driver and their assistant, “among the abducted passengers was a woman from Debre Markos city for which they demanded a ransom of 1.5 million birr, and efforts were made to gather the funds” they explained.
One Felege Giyon autobus worker who did not identify themselves confirmed the incident to Deutsche Welle saying the autobus did in fact belong to the organization.
Repeated abductions have fatigued travelers
On that day in addition to the more than 50 passengers abducted from the autobus many of the passengers were attacked by the militants say eyewitnesses, in this area militants have long demanded ransoms which has presented a danger to travelers, this matter has also long fatigued drivers. Last year in the month of June (Sene) more than 100 people departing from Debark University and other universities were abducted by militants in this area known as Alidoro as they were travelling to Addis Ababa.
Under circumstances where details of the abduction and fate of the captives is unclear Deutsche Welle reached out to North Shewa Zone administrator Ato Kefelew Aserae for comment and he gave the short response of “we are verifying the information.”
In relation to abductions, the repeatedly implicated Oromo Liberation Army operate widely in the area and have repeatedly denied the allegations. The OLA issued a short statement last week stating that investigations were underway into the reported abductions of travelers from Addis Ababa in Dagem Woreda as they were traveling to Debre Markos. It is said the victims whose whereabouts are unknown were victims of the security situation in the area.
Seyoum Getu
Shewaye Legesse
Tsehaye Chanie
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