Nairobi: Three Ethiopian journalists investigating alleged illegal gold mining in northwestern Tigray have been kidnapped, their organisation said Sunday.
Tigray was devastated by a brutal two-year conflict between Ethiopian government forces -- backed by regional militias and Eritrean troops -- and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF).
The conflict ended in 2022 but left the region devasted with some 600,000 people killed, more than a million displaced, and much of the area's infrastructure destroyed.
Tigrai Television said the three male reporters -- who have not been named -- were in Asgede district when they were "abducted by unknown individuals under unclear circumstances".
The TPLF-linked broadcaster said the journalists were investigating "the environmental, health, and social impacts of unregulated gold mining in the region" following concerns from affected residents.
Tigrai TV condemned the kidnapping in a statement on X, labelling it a "direct attack on press freedom".
The outlet said efforts were underway to find the men, but added "initial attempts to report the case to local authorities have been unsuccessful."
"We fear their families could be worried," Abel Tsgabu, a Tigrai TV journalist, told AFP.
In 2024, Ethiopia ranked 141st in the world in terms of press freedom, according to media watchdog Reporters Without Borders.
