Ethiopian troops have launched operations against members of a rebel group- the Oromo Liberation Front that signed an agreement with the government last year to end hostilities. Prime Minister- Abiy Hamed`s press secretary said the offensive was taking place in the province’s Kelem Wollega zone, where she said OLF training sites were based. She denied media reports of air strikes, saying helicopters were only used to transport soldiers. She accused the group of carrying out attacks that included rape, bank robberies, and blockades of highways that caused “a lot of displacement” in parts of the Oromiya region. The Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) has fought an insurgency for self-determination for ethnic Oromos, the country’s most populous ethnic group since the 1970s.

Source: Ethiopian News January 17, 2019 12:58 UTC