Disclaimer: This is an English translation of an Amharic article taken from BBC Amharic and is intended solely for information purposes.
BBC Amharic - 16 of the student hostages in the Gereb Guracha area reportedly released after paying ransom
August 7, 2024
In recent days 16 of the students taken hostage by militants in the Gereb Guracha area located north of Addis Ababa have been released after payment of ransom.
It has been over one month since students from Debark University were abducted in the Gereb Guracha area of Oromia Region while traveling by public bus to Addis Ababa city near the end of last Sene (early July).
On July 3/2024 (Sene 26/2016 EC) more than 100 students were abducted in the area between Goha Tsion and Tulu Milki as they were traveling from Amhara Region to the national capital.
Though the government claimed to have carried out measures to free the students, BBC spoke to family members and sources in the early weeks of the abduction which said the students had not been released and that they were being asked to pay ransom.
Over the past week, 16 of the abducted students were released after having paid hundreds of thousands in ransom money according to sources close to the matter which spoke to BBC.
Last Wednesday, July 31/2024 (Hamle 24/2016 EC) 11 students were released after paying ransoms ranging between 100,000 to 500,000 birr according to family members of two students who spoke to BBC on condition of anonymity for their safety.
Of the released students nine were female and two were male, and family members paid money of “various amounts” through a bank they did not want to name in order to secure the release of their children.
The students who had been detained were unwilling to speak after having experienced fear and suffering, say family members, after the payment was made they set off on foot at night from the rural area they were being held and reached the area of Tulu Milki town after several hours.
When they were sent off by residents of the area and reached Tulu Milki town, “government security forces” in the area received them, say the students, and it was confirmed they entered Addis Ababa the following day on Thursday.
On that day the students reached Addis Ababa at around 3 pm, and they were greeted by their family members and friends, which BBC learned from its sources.
Sources said the captors accepted a reduced amount compared to the original ransom they asked for, and family members collected the funds using various means to secure the release of their children.
In addition to this, on Thursday, August 1/2024 (Hamle 25/2016 EC) another five people (four students and one traveler that was not a student) were released after having paid the ransom, say sources.
On Monday morning August 2nd (Hamle 29) another student was released under similar circumstances and entered Addis Ababa.
Sources which followed the case of the abduction of the students along with their family members over the last month say the hostages faced torture, physical beatings and gender-based attacks.
In addition students who spent time in detainment described the conditions of their detainment to their parents by saying their captors “showed them mercy on some days and showed them cruelty on other days.”
The students reported witnessing bickering among the captors regarding their actions against the students and said “they were not in agreement”.
The released students said over 15 travelers (who were not students) from Bahir Dar who occupied vacant seats were abducted with them and were still being held.
BBC spoke to a family member of an abducted student who said “the militants killed two people in front of the student which they told us while crying”.
This was confirmed by released students who said two civilians who were not students were killed by the militants.
The killed people were both males, one was a youth “accused of lying about not having any money with him” and the other was an adult.
The students said, “the youth lost weight, they have become pale” and one source who they met in person in Addis Ababa said they had been eating “corn covered with onions and peppers” as was customary in the area.
More than 30 militants “had their hair done, were wearing civilian attire and were educated”, said the students.
The students say they had not seen any signs or writing to specify where the exact location was and that the area looked like a typical rural area in Ethiopia.
The students said they did not see any schools or health center kind of institutions in the area.
Among the more than 100 students who were said to be abducted, in addition to some who managed to escape at the time of the abduction, over 40 students were released after they were “separated by ethnicity” including the right who paid ransom money which BBC previously reported.
The students were divided into various groups and so the exact number of students currently abducted is not known.
The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) which is said to be investigating the abduction told BBC their investigation was not yet complete saying “we are still investigating”.
The Oromia Region administration had said “the majority of students have been released” and relayed in a press statement to domestic medias that the “Shene” militants which are categorized as a terrorist organization otherwise known as the Oromo Liberation Army were responsible for the abduction however the armed group has refuted the allegation.
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