An armed group known as Kore Negegna has reportedly abducted more than 20 civilians in Ethiopia’s Oromia region, raising alarm over continued insecurity and politically motivated violence.
According to a report by Ethiopian Media Services, the mass abduction took place on the evening of July 30 in Welenchiti, a town located in Boset district, East Shoa zone—roughly two hours from the capital, Addis Ababa. Among those kidnapped are a priest and a pregnant woman. The whereabouts of the victims remain unknown.
Local sources indicated that members of the ethnic Amhara community in the area were targeted, with licensed firearm owners being rounded up and disarmed.
Kore Negegna—spelled Koree Nageenyaa in the Oromo language—is widely alleged to be a clandestine armed group affiliated with the Oromia branch of the ruling Prosperity Party, under the leadership of Oromia Regional President Shimeles Abdissa. A February 2024 investigative report by Reuters linked the group to extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in the region.
Attempts to reach federal and regional officials for comment have so far been unsuccessful.
Ethiopia has witnessed a sharp increase in politically motivated kidnappings since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took office in 2018. Oromia, in particular, has seen a surge in such incidents, with civilians often forced to pay large ransom sums to secure the release of loved ones. In some cases, victims have reportedly been killed even after ransom payments were made.
While much of the kidnapping activity has been attributed to the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), opposition voices and some investigative reports claim that state-affiliated groups like Kore Negegna are also heavily involved in these operations.
