Kidnapping occurred again in Ethiopia! Coffee industry prospects are unclear

According to Ethiopian media reports, another abominable kidnapping occurred in the town of Dogbeguracha (Gerbe Guracha town) in the Ethiopian state of Oromia, about 155km from the capital Addis Ababa.

It is reported that a bus full of passengers was kidnapped by gunmen while passing through the town of Dogbe Gulacha (Gerbe Guracha town), and there were 52 passengers on board when it was hijacked by gunmen. As early as July this year, there was an abominable kidnapping in the town, when three passenger buses were hijacked with more than 100 students from a university, and the kidnappers demanded a ransom of 700000 Bill each.

After the kidnapping, the government of Beishao, Oromia, claimed that security forces are trying to rescue them, and that most of the passengers have escaped, but eight passengers have still been kidnapped, and security forces are trying to rescue other abductees.

At the same time, there are reports that the gunmen and kidnappers are hiding in a plantation near the town. But it is not clear that the positions of the gunmen and kidnappers have been determined, and security forces have not been able to rescue the remaining eight passengers.

According to the Ethiopian government, the kidnapping was carried out by the Shane force of the OLA, which it said had been engaged in kidnapping, extortion and killing of civilians in the Oromia region. However, the Olomo Liberation Army (OLA) has denied involvement in the kidnapping and issued a statement pointing out that the "Shane" armed forces formed by the Ethiopian government itself carried out activities such as kidnapping and killing civilians in the name of the Olomia Liberation Army.

It is understood that in recent years, the abduction of civilians has become a serious and widespread problem in Ethiopia. According to the Deputy Prime Minister of Ethiopia, who recently told representatives of the private sector at a public meeting, peace and stability in Ethiopia remain difficult to control, in part because of private sector support for regime change by armed groups.

However, the Vice-Presidents of the Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce and industry associations were of the view that instability and security were the biggest problems facing the private sector, and that investment, business activities, tourism and human mobility were all seriously affected by armed conflict, security issues also put serious pressure on citizens.

Recently, armed conflicts have been reported in several parts of Ethiopia, mostly in the north of the country, with no wife impact on coffee-growing areas mainly in the south of the country. However, armed conflicts have also begun in the south recently, which will also affect the country's coffee industry in the future.

In addition, the deterioration of relations between Ethiopia and neighbouring Somalia due to the independence of Somaliland has strained the situation in the Horn of Africa. And Ethiopia is still affected by the situation in the Red Sea and has no extra ports to use, so the export of goods such as coffee is slow and is not conducive to development.

And according to earlier data from the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Administration, Ethiopia exported 209000 tons of coffee during May 2023 and May 2024, a significant decrease from 290000 tons in the same period last year. It is all because the global coffee trade will slow down the import of coffee and other products in Ethiopia due to the situation and security problems, affecting the international influence.

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