Armed gunmen reportedly launched a brazen early morning attack on a mining field in the volatile Wollega province of Ethiopia according to the Addis Ababa based Ethiopian Reporter online magazine.
The mining field was being run by Kefi P.L.C., which is a UK gold exploration company involved in extracting gold. Six armed men conducted an early morning attack on the compound located at the mining field, while no employees or contractors where present. Equipment was reportedly looted during the raid.
Executive Chairman of Kefi P.L.C. gave an interview to the online magazine Ethiopian Reporter following the raid and was quoted as saying “There was a burglary at our exploration site and the attackers have also destroyed one small shed used to store exploration equipment,”
The executive chairman went onto say “The armed men have taken GPS equipments as well as a microscope which we find a bit mysterious,”
Kefi Minerals got its mining license in the area back in 2015 during the peak of the Oromo led uprising in Ethiopia. Following the attack, members of Oromia regional and federal police were deployed to the locality.
Wollega province located in the southwest part of Ethiopia has been a hotbed for bandits and awash with lawlessness in recent months. The region is home to various armed Oromo factions, insurgent groups and paramilitary forces.
The Ethiopian Government on several occasions setup military command posts in the area and deployed troops to quell the violence in the area but to no avail. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
We will keep you updated with the latest developments from the region.
Halgan Media
