A harrowing ordeal unfolded on July 2nd when three public buses carrying over 160 university students were ambushed and hijacked in the Oromia region.
The students, primarily from Debark University in the Amhara region, were en route to the capital, Addis Ababa, for their summer break.
Armed assailants, suspected to be members of the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), intercepted the buses near Garba Guracha town, kidnapping all passengers and transporting them to an undisclosed location.
Two days later, the families of the victims were contacted with exorbitant ransom demands, ranging from 500,000 to 700,000 Ethiopian Birr ($6,200 to $8,700).
The impoverished families expressed their inability to meet these demands.
A week after the incident, the Oromia regional government claimed to have rescued 160 of the 167 captives through a coordinated operation with local residents.
However, this assertion was met with disbelief and anger from the families, who maintained contact with their loved ones still in captivity.
Despite the government’s claims, many students remain missing, and their families are desperate for information about their whereabouts and well-being.
The kidnapping has sparked widespread outrage and highlighted the ongoing security challenges facing Ethiopia.
As of August 7th, the families of the missing students continue to grapple with uncertainty and fear, with no concrete information about their loved ones’ fate.
