The head of Central Ethiopia Regional State's Peace and Security Bureau said authorities took "measures" against "armed men" in Abeshige Woreda who had rejected "government calls to surrender," days after local media reported the killing of three men in the same woreda.
Temesgen Kassa, head of the Bureau, made the remarks at a regional government press briefing on 12 August. He did not directly address the reported killings of Temesgen Getachew, Yitagesu Asegidew and Gizaw Girmaye.
The three men were reportedly forcibly removed from a public transport vehicle in the Agena area of Abeshige Woreda, Gurage Zone, after being accused of being "members of Fano." The circumstances of their removal, including who stopped the vehicle and who made the accusation, were described in the earlier reports rather than confirmed by any government statement.
Photographs purportedly showing the men tied, beaten and shot dead were also published following the reported killing. The authenticity of the images has not been independently verified, and no government body has issued a public assessment of them.
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Kassa's remarks, delivered days after the reports surfaced, described a security operation against armed individuals who had refused to surrender to government forces. He said "measures" were taken against "armed men" in the woreda who had rejected "government calls to surrender." He did not name any individuals involved in the operation, nor did he confirm whether the "armed men" referenced in his statement were the same three men reported killed in Agena.
The connection between the two accounts rests on timing and location rather than any direct statement from the Bureau. Kassa's remarks made no reference to Temesgen Getachew, Yitagesu Asegidew or Gizaw Girmaye by name. The circumstances of their deaths, including who carried them out, remain as described in the earlier local media accounts, unaddressed in the Bureau's public statement.
As of Kassa's 12 August briefing, no independent investigation into the deaths had been announced by regional or federal authorities, according to available reporting.
