Falls Church, Virginia (10/25/2022) – OLLAA has received disturbing reports about drone attacks being carried out by the Ethiopian government throughout Oromia in recent days, leading to the death of civilians. On October 24, 2022, the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) both released statements highlighting recent reports of drone attacks in the West Shewa, East Shewa, and East Wollega zones. The Addis Standard has reported that at least 68 civilians were killed in a drone strike that took place in the Cobi district of the West Shewa zone on October 23, 2022, and that reports are circulating on social media that another drone strike may have occurred on October 24, although they could not confirm those reports at this time. A credible source has recently provided OLLAA staff with a list of 87 individuals who were killed during the recent drone attacks in the West Shewa zone. The full list is available for download below.
Throughout Oromia, Amhara militias have also continued to perpetrate attacks against civilians, leading to deaths and mass displacement, and the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) recently reported that 120 civilians had been killed by members of Fano from October 1-14. On October 22, 2022, the Addis Standard released a report detailing a series of attacks against civilians inside the East Wollega zone of Oromia. According to this report, at least 30 civilians had died and 50 homes were burned down when Amhara militias (Fano) attacked residents of four villages in Kiremu district on October 15th. One resident claimed that everyone who lived in Gudina Jiregna village was displaced as a result of this attack, and that Ethiopian security forces who were present failed to respond to the violence. In addition, it has been reported that another attack was carried out by Amhara militias against civilians in Sasigga District, West Wollega zone, on October 19, 2022.
OLLAA condemns these recent attacks against civilians throughout Oromia. We note that, under international law, the Ethiopian government has a duty to respect human rights and to protect the lives of its civilian population. We therefore urge the Ethiopian government to seek peaceful means to address the conflict inside Oromia, and to launch independent investigations into allegations of human rights violations committed by all actors against civilians. We further 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.
OLLAA is an umbrella organization that works in collaboration with dozens of Oromo communities around the world.