ADDIS ABABA, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Security forces in Ethiopia's Oromia regional state have arrested 26 suspected rebel infiltrators, state media outlet Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) reported Friday.
EBC reported the 26 "infiltrators" who are suspected to be members of the rebel group Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) were captured earlier this week in the Borena zone of Oromia regional state.
Ethiopia's Borena zone borders northern Kenya.
The "26 OLA members who had taken training and entered Ethiopia wearing civilian clothes for (attack) missions have been arrested in Dire locality of Borena zone," EBC further reported.
OLA is a breakaway faction of an ex-rebel group Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), which is an opposition political party claiming to fight for the rights of ethnic Oromos who make up about 35 percent of Ethiopia's population.
The OLF was designated as a terrorist group by the Ethiopian parliament in 2011 but was removed from the terror list in July 2018 to help facilitate negotiations and foster reconciliation.
A breakaway faction estimated to have about 3,000 fighters, however, operates in the western and southern parts of Oromia regional state, the principal homeland of ethnic Oromos.
In May, the Ethiopian parliament voted to designate the OLA as a terrorist group. Enditem