Blame Game Continues While Civilians In East Wollega Zone Pay The Heavy Price

Background

East Wollega Zone is located in the northwestern part of Oromia region, bordered by the Benishangul-Gumuz and Amhara regions.  It has a population of over 1 million people, the vast majority of whom are Oromo (approximately 88%), while ethnic Amharas and others make up roughly 10% of the population.   

OLLAA has recently received multiple reports of violence being perpetrated against civilians in Kiramu District in the East Wollega Zone, culminating in the massacre in Haro town on October 10, 2021. In many incidents, there are disparate accounts of which groups have instigated and perpetrated the violence, although they have most often been attributed to inter-ethnic conflict between Amhara militias and the group referred to as “OLF-Shane” by the Ethiopian government. This document provides a summary of various accounts of the incidents, as reported by a range of actors, including media outlets, the OLF, and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC), in order to establish an approximate timeline of the attacks against civilians from August – October 2021. 

Given the fact that the vast majority of civilians injured during the attacks were Oromo, OLLAA believes it is reasonable to conclude that the Amhara militias likely bear the primary responsibility for these attacks. In addition, although this report contains multiple references to statements issued by the EHRC, as one of the primary groups reporting on the recent violence in the East Wollega Zone, it should be noted that OLLAA has expressed concerns about the independence of this body. 

Regardless of the identity of the perpetrators of these acts, the Ethiopian government has the duty to protect civilians, fully and impartially investigate these incidents, and ensure that all perpetrators are held accountable for their violations of the victims’ human rights. 

Acts of Violence Against Civilians from August – October 2021, as Reported by Various Entities

In late-August,  the Addis Standard reported that there had been a series of violent clashes between militants in Kiramu District since August 18th, resulting in the deaths of multiple civilians. At the time, the administrator of the East Wollega Zone, Alemayehu Tesfa attributed the attacks to Amhara militias and the “OLA-Shane”, who he claimed were trying to instigate conflict between  ethnic groups, although he posited that “The main perpetrators of the attack were members of Shane who opened fire on both Oromos and Amharas.”

In response to the claims that OLA had been behind the violence in East Wollega Zone, the OLF-OLA High Command issued a communiqué arguing that “the current prevailing media narrative on the situation in East Walaga has been heavily distorted from the facts on the ground.” Instead, they noted that there had been an increase in Amhara militias in the area over the past year.  They further claimed that a large group of armed Amharas had arrived in the Kiramu District on August 13th, one day following the withdrawal of Oromo Special Forces, and that, “Since then they have been active throughout the area, driving people out of their homes and burning the houses down.” They did acknowledge that their forces have engaged with Amhara militias in the area, but claimed they, “have gone above and beyond to ensure no innocent civilians are harmed.”

On August 25th, the EHRC issued a press release noting claims that more than 150 residents had been killed in an attack in the Kiramu district, which they alleged were perpetrated by “OLF militants”. They further claimed that 60 additional casualties occurred in the days following, as acts of “ethnic retaliation”. The EHRC further noted that the attacks occurred in the days following the withdrawal of security forces from the area. 

The OLF then issued a press release in response to the EHRC, arguing that, although the EHRC “claims to be an independent agency charged with promoting human rights and investigating human rights abuses”, they have “repeatedly observed that some of the reports and press releases are biased, and politically motivated.”  Regarding the recent attacks in East Wollega, they accused the EHRC of having “implicitly concealed the merciless atrocities of the Amhara militias and government forces on Oromo civilians and exaggerated / highlighted the Amhara victims.” They also called for an independent investigation.

On September 24th, the EHRC issued a press release stating their concerns about the security situation in Kiramu District, East Wollega Zone, and noting that 18 civilians were killed in a series of three related attacks in Boka Kebele on September 7th and 8th, and that 11 civilians were killed in another attack in Wolmai Kebele on the 8th.  They reported that more than 40,000 people had been displaced due to the violence. 

On October 10th, civilians were attacked in Haro Town, Kiramu District. One witness to the events, an Oromo resident, claimed that the attack was perpetrated by Amhara militias, leading to the death of approximately 25 Oromo civilians. Another witness, an ethnic Amhara, claimed that the attacks may have been perpetrated by the “OLA”. A third witness, also an ethnic Amhara, noted that the majority of civilians killed during the attacks were Oromo, but there were also 8 Amhara killed.  He further speculated that the violence would not have occurred if the government security forces had not withdrawn from the area.

In the days following the attack, the Oromia Support Group published a list of 18 victims who they had been able to confirm were killed during the attack in Haro town:

OLLAA has also received unconfirmed reports from contacts on the ground that more than 100 people died during the attack on Haro town, although 25 deaths have been officially confirmed.

On October 15th, the OLF issued a press release on the violence in Haro town, in which they stated that 25 Oromo civilians were killed by Amhara militias in Haro on October 10th. They also reported that 15 Oromo civilians were massacred by Amhara militias in Luugoo, East Wollega Zone, on October 12th, and called for an independent investigation into the massacres.

Following the latest attack, the EHRC issued a statement calling on the government to deploy “adequate” security forces to East Wollega and Horo Guduru Wollega Zones in response to recent violence.  Regarding the attack in Haro town, the EHRC reported that they had been informed that “OLF Shane militants” had killed civilians following the withdrawal of Oromia Special Forces from the area.  They further reported that 43,139 people had been displaced in the zone as a result of violence. 

The Oromia Communications Bureau also made a Facebook post claiming that the violence in Haro Town was caused by “The terrorist forces of Shane and bandits”, in an attempt to,“create conflict between the people”.

International Human Rights Standards

International human rights law sets out the obligations of governments to act in certain ways or to refrain from certain acts, in order to protect and promote human rights and fundamental freedoms, and to ensure that all persons under its jurisdiction are able to enjoy all those rights and freedoms in practice.  In particular, the obligation to protect requires States to take actions to protect individuals and groups against human rights abuses committed by third parties, including armed non-State actors, such as militias.  

International human rights law also sets out that victims of human rights violations have a right to effective remedy and reparations, as proscribed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, among others.

Taken together, a State’s obligation to protect and victim’s right to redress means that a State has the duty to exercise due diligence to prevent, investigate, and respond to such acts when they occur.  

A recently published joint statement by independent United Nations human rights experts issued specific recommendations to States in order to ensure that the human rights of individuals and groups are protected in cases involving human rights abuses committed by armed non-State actors, as reproduced below:

States should:

1. in any territory under their jurisdiction, respect their obligation to monitor and prevent violations of human rights committed by armed non-State actors or violations by armed non-State actors empowered to exercise governmental authority or acting with Government acquiescence;
2. properly investigate all allegations of human rights violations by armed non-State actors, prosecute and punish perpetrators, and ensure adequate reparation and redress to victims, in full compliance international human rights law and standards;
3. provide appropriate redress, reparations and other assistance to victims, in cases of both direct and indirect responsibility for abuses committed by armed non-State actors, in particular in cases where armed non-state actors are unable or unwilling to meet their responsibilities in this regard.
4. contribute to and/or support the clarification and codification of human rights responsibilities of armed non-State actors;
5. evaluate current mechanisms for holding armed non-State actors accountable and identify approaches to effectively address protection and justice gaps and vacuums;
6. encourage the adoption by armed non-State actors of policies, practices and codes of conduct for human rights protection;
7. develop guidelines for human rights-based engagement with armed non-State actors.
8. adopt a gender-sensitive approach and ensure that these recommendations are implemented taking into account the heightened risk of abuse against women and children, including for sexual and gender-based crimes, and child soldier recruitment;
9. ensure that the experiences of groups with specific vulnerabilities and individuals within these groups, such as migrants, minorities, LGBTI, older persons and persons with disabilities, among others, are fully integrated in the implementation of these recommendations.

Conclusions

Based on the above, it is clear that the civilian population of East Wollega Zone has been subjected to a series of violent attacks since at least August 2021, leading to numerous injuries, hundreds of deaths, the displacement of over 40,000 individuals, and thereby violating the human rights of the civilian population.  

Although there are varying accounts of which groups have served as the primary instigator and perpetrator of the attacks in the East Wollega Zone, the fact remains that, no matter who the perpetrators are, the Ethiopian government has a duty to take measures to protect the safety and security of all residents of the East Wollega Zone and ensure that they are able to fully enjoy their human rights. This means that the government has a duty to monitor and prevent targeted acts of violence against civilian populations, promptly and properly investigate allegations of said violence, ensure perpetrators are brought to justice, and provide appropriate redress to victims. OLLAA calls on the Ethiopian government to fulfill its duty in this regard and protect the lives and livelihoods of all its citizens. We also call on them to implement the recommendations issued by the group of independent United Nations human rights experts in the development of a concrete strategy to fulfill the above mentioned obligations.

OLLAA also calls on the international community to apply pressure on the government of Ethiopia to fulfill its obligation to protect the lives of all civilians in the East Wollega Zone, and to consider launching independent investigations into these attacks. The UN and other relevant organizations should also take proactive measures to ensure that the IDPs and persons injured in these attacks receive the humanitarian assistance they need.