On the morning of July 2, 2024, three public buses reportedly carrying at least 167 passengers were travelling to Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, for the summer holidays. Most of the passengers were students from Debark University in the Amhara region.

At approximately 10 a.m., gunmen intercepted the buses near Garba Guracha town in Oromia province — around 155 kilometers north of Addis Ababa. They kidnapped the occupants and took them to a remote area where the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) is believed to operate.

Two days after the incident, the families of the victims were contacted for ransom.

"I received a call from my sister on Friday July 4 after not hearing from her for two days," a sister of one of the kidnapped students told DW.

"The phone call was interrupted, but the kidnappers later called me themselves, demanding 500,000 Ethiopian Birr (ETB) ($6,200, €5,700) for her release," she added.

Another family from Hawassa received a ransom demand of 700,000 ETB. "We cannot afford to pay such a large amount," said the elder brother of another kidnapped student.

A week after the kidnappings, the Oromia regional state announced that 160 of the 167 victims had been released through a government operation coordinated with local residents.

"We managed to release 160 students and are still working........

© Deutsche Welle