The humanitarian organization Catholic Relief Services (CRS) confirmed this week that two of its staff members were killed in a weekend attack in Ethiopia’s Amhara region. The victims were Chuol Tongyik, 37, who served as CRS’s security director since December 2022, and Amare Kindeya, 43, who worked as a chauffeur for the agency since 2019.
Details about the incident remain limited. CRS stated that the two employees were returning to Addis Ababa when they were shot on Sunday. Zemede Zewdie, the organization’s representative in Ethiopia, extended condolences to the families and reaffirmed CRS’s commitment to continuing its support for the Ethiopian people. He described the loss as profoundly shocking and mourned the senseless violence, noting that Tongyik and Kindeya were valued members of the CRS team and the broader aid worker community.
The killings occurred amid concurrent demonstrations in several cities across the region that followed the government’s decision to dissolve and reintegrate regional special forces.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed promised that authorities would take appropriate measures against anyone who attempted to disrupt security operations or undermine the effort to reorganize and integrate the regional forces. He indicated that such actions posed a threat to the stability of the region, particularly amid the long-running conflict involving the army and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) during the two-year war in Tigray.
Reports from Addis Standard noted ongoing clashes in recent days between government security forces and civilians, as well as tensions between regional special forces and elements of the national army, underscoring a volatile security environment in parts of the Amhara region.