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Two Turkish tourists and their Ethiopian driver were killed by armed herders in southwestern Ethiopia, regional authorities said late Monday, describing the incident as a “heinous act.”
The attack occurred in the Suri district, about 330 kilometers (200 miles) southwest of the capital, Addis Ababa, according to a statement posted by authorities in Ethiopia’s Southwest region on Facebook. Officials said the victims were attacked Monday morning by what they described as “pastoralist bandits.”
Authorities did not provide further details on how the attack unfolded.
Turkish media outlet T24 reported that one of the victims was Erdogan Akbulak, owner of Istanbul-based Silkar Madencilik, who had traveled to Ethiopia on a tourist safari.
The report said the killings took place amid a sudden outbreak of armed tension in the area, where internal conflicts have persisted for years.
Two other Turkish citizens involved in the incident were reported to have sought refuge at the Turkish Embassy following the attack.
Regional authorities said they had launched a “major law enforcement operation” to track down those responsible and bring them to justice.
Southwestern Ethiopia is home to semi-nomadic herding communities, including members of the Suri and Surma tribes, who are often armed to protect their livestock. Sporadic violence involving armed herders has been reported in the region.
Ethiopia, which emerged in 2022 from a devastating civil war in the northern Tigray region, has been working to attract international tourists as part of efforts to diversify its largely state-led economy.
However, the country continues to face armed conflicts in its two most populous regions, Oromia and Amhara, underscoring persistent security challenges across parts of the Horn of Africa nation of about 130 million people.
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