Falls Church, Virginia (1/24/2023) – It has been reported that on January 20, 2023, Amhara regional forces, alongside members of the Amhara militia group known as Fano, opened fire on Oromo civilians located in Jille Dhumuga, in the Wollo Oromia Special zone of the Amhara region, killing at least 7 civilians. Since that time, reports have been circulating on social media regarding continued violence in the area, including one video showing a home being burned down while the individuals said, “Burn Oromos’ property!”, and a graphic photograph showing the bodies of Oromo civilians who had reportedly been killed in the zone. On January 24, 2023, the Oromo Liberation Front issued a statement on the recent attacks in Jille Dhumuga district, which claimed that the Amhara regional government had coordinated and led the attacks with the support of Fano. They also claimed that at least 63 civilians had been killed as a result of the attacks and that thousands of civilians were forced to flee their homes. Finally, they reported that 16 Oromo civilians had been extrajudicially killed when they were traveling from Finfine to Wolllo after security forces saw their ID cards and identified them as Oromos.
OLLAA condemns this recent attack against civilians in the Wollo Oromia Special zone, and notes that this is far from an isolated incident, but, rather, part of a series of attacks against Oromo civilians in the area. Under international law, the Ethiopian federal government has a duty to protect its citizens, including by launching independent investigations into attacks and ensuring that perpetrators are held accountable. However, OLLAA is gravely concerned that the Ethiopian government has consistently failed to meet its international obligations in this regard, particularly in cases where the alleged perpetrators are State agents. We, therefore, call on the international community, including the UN International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia, to independently investigate these attacks, as well as all allegations of human rights abuses committed throughout the country. We further call on the Amhara regional government to protect the human rights of Oromo civilians and to cease violent attacks in the Wollo Oromia Special zone.
OLLAA is an umbrella organization that works in collaboration
with dozens of Oromo communities around the world.