Conflict continues to break out in Ethiopia! War spreads to western production areas

According to Ethiopian media reports, there has been another serious kidnapping in Oromia, where 44 people were kidnapped by "Shene" militants in the town of Assela, about 167km south of the capital Addis Ababa, and nearby areas.

It is understood that the incident was that the "Shene" armed team was hiding in the forest near the town of Asela, during which it intercepted eight public transport buses from the town of Gobesa to other cities and kidnapped 38 people. In addition, local sources said that after the "Shene" armed team arrived in the town of Asela, opened fire in the town, and kidnapped six residents.

Subsequently, the militants asked the hostages' families for a ransom of 500000 to 1 million Bill over the phone, and if they failed to remit the requested amount, they would kill the hostages. However, at present, the security services in the region have not issued a statement on the incident. According to residents near the abduction site, Shene armed groups have been active in the area and take hostages day after day, and many people traveling in the area have been killed and kidnapped by armed groups due to the absence of Government security forces.

For a long time, the region and surrounding areas have not been peaceful, earlier in mid-August, Ethiopian media reported a deadly attack in the region, when six civilians were killed and three injured. He also pointed out that half of the area is controlled by the Oromo Liberation Army, and the other half is occupied by government forces, and the kidnapping was carried out by the Oromo Liberation Army, or "Shene", but this time the government forces did not act, and local residents are increasingly worried about the continuing security problems in the area.

In addition, deadly armed attacks also took place in western Oromia State, which took place in the the Kiramu district subdistrict of East Vollega district (East Wollega Zone), 281km per month in Addis Ababa, resulting in the death of a local administrator and a party official. However, the attack is believed to have been carried out by Fino forces.

It is understood that the town of Assela, where the kidnapping occurred, is very close to the Sidamo coffee producing area in West Dama, while the eastern Vollega district (East Wollega Zone) in the west is the coffee producing area of Lekempti. Recently, armed conflicts have broken out in many parts of Ethiopia, the main conflict areas are in the north of the country, and even in the south, the coffee-producing areas have not been affected. However, at present, the coffee-producing areas in western Ethiopia have been affected, which may have a certain impact on the country's coffee industry.

Although, according to figures released earlier by the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Administration, Ethiopia exported 42322 tons of coffee in August, generating a record profit of more than $196 million. This is Ethiopia's record foreign exchange earnings in one month from the export of cash crops. According to the director of the Coffee and Tea Administration, current coffee exports have increased by 165%, and additional income has increased by 143%. In July and August, Ethiopia earned $377 million from coffee exports, compared with the same period last year. August income increased by US $110 million, an increase of 41%, and production increased by 32955 tons, an increase of 66%.

However, it has been reported that international coffee prices have soared as Brazil and other major coffee-producing countries have reported reduced production due to the weather, and Ethiopia's frantic devaluation of Ethiopian currency Bill due to earlier government reform policies, but Ethiopian coffee prices have not risen significantly, so international coffee traders are able to buy Ethiopian coffee at cheaper prices. In addition, due to the EU no deforestation regulations EUDR will be implemented at the end of this year, leading EU coffee traders to increase purchases to ensure inventory.

However, even with the increase in exports and income, people in the Ethiopian coffee industry say that local prices are rising as a result of the reform of the new policy, and that the government has taken action, but with little effect, so it has not increased much revenue. And internal conflicts continue, which may endanger coffee producing areas at any time. In addition, once EUDR is formally implemented at the end of the year, many small farmers in Ethiopia will not be able to meet EU standards, when exports will be greatly reduced.

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