Suspected Ethiopian Shifta gangs are demanding 300,000 Ethiopian Birr ransom for the release of abducted Sudanese refugee Khairallah Ali Juma, officials within the Komer camp in the restive northwestern Amhara region announced.
Juma was reportedly kidnapped on July 5, while returning from the Olala area to the Komer camp. Omar Ta’arija, the camp’s supply officer, reported the kidnappers’ demand.
“No entity has intervened so far since Juma’s abduction and he remains detained and tortured,” he said, emphasizing the need to mobilize support to secure his release.
Refugees in the area organized a protest demanding urgent intervention from the governments of Sudan and Ethiopia to save the abductee. They noted that the number of kidnappings had reached 48.
Ta’arija told Radio Tamazuj on Saturday that the ransom amount was significant and beyond their means.
Adam Ali Juma, the abductee’s brother, expressed concern that he might be killed if the ransom was not paid, highlighting their inability to afford the amount.
“I urge international and human rights organizations to intervene and save my brother’s life,” he said.
The Ethiopian Shifta gangs are notorious for looting and robbing Sudanese refugees in the Komer and Olala camps, exacerbating the suffering of the people fleeing conflicts.
Several incidents of murder and looting by the gangs have occurred, in recent months, worsening the humanitarian situation in the region.