Residents in the Welega area said they were upset about the disruption of telephone services, citing the “presence of armed elements”.

In West Welega and Kelem Welega districts of Oromia region, local residents said telephone services had been cut off for a long time, which had a great impact on the economy and rescue operations.

Residents say service disruptions, coupled with security concerns in the area, have made it difficult to control the high levels of malaria.

Telephone services in many areas of the two districts have been suspended for more than two years.

The person, who identified himself as a resident of Anforo area in Kelhamwelega district and requested not to be named for security reasons, said his phone service has been cut for the past three years because “militants are operating in the area”. Here, they noted that they were forced to deal with many problems including walking for hours especially for parents in labor as they could not call an ambulance.