Two Turkish tourists and their Ethiopian driver have been killed in an attack by armed herders in southwestern Ethiopia, regional authorities confirmed late on Monday, describing the incident as a “heinous act.”
The attack occurred on Monday morning in the Suri district, about 330 kilometres southwest of Addis Ababa. In a statement posted on Facebook, authorities in the Southwest region said the victims were attacked by what they described as “pastoralist bandits,” though further details of the incident were not disclosed.
Southwestern Ethiopia is inhabited by semi-nomadic herding communities, including the Suri and Surma tribes, many of whom carry weapons to protect their livestock.
Regional officials said a “major law enforcement operation” has been launched to track down and arrest those responsible for the killings.
The incident comes as Ethiopia seeks to boost international tourism as part of efforts to diversify its largely state-driven economy, following the end of the devastating civil war in the northern Tigray region in 2022.
Despite these ambitions, the Horn of Africa nation — home to about 130 million people — continues to grapple with insecurity, with ongoing armed conflicts in its two most populous regions, Oromia and Amhara.
