Falls Church, Virginia (12/05/2022)–A gruesome video (Explicit Content Warning) began circulating on social media this morning showing several members of the Amhara militia, Fano, speaking in front of the decapitated heads of individuals from Jardega Jarte, Horo Guduru Wollega zone, they claimed were “Shane.” This is just one of the multiple reports of violent acts being perpetrated by Fano throughout western Oromia in the past few weeks. For example, OLLAA’s sources have also reported that “allied forces,” including Fano, extrajudicially executed 20 civilians in Hanger Gutin, East Wollega zone, on December 4. Hasan Yusuf, the President of Wollega University, made a Facebook post claiming that 8 of his relatives were killed in this attack. On November 25 and 29, 2022, residents reported that Fano killed several individuals during attacks in Kiremu District, East Wollega zone, including a Kiremu District Court judge. The Gida Ayana district government’s communication’s office issued a statement claiming that the entire population of 19 villages in Kiremu had been displaced due to the violence. Sources on the ground have also reported to OLLAA that multiple civilians were killed in another attack perpetrated by Fano in Agamsa town, Horo Guduru Wollega zone, on November 29. Another source reported that Amhara militias had recently attacked civilians and burned down their homes in Bosat, East Shewa zone. Although estimates of the number of individuals killed in these attacks vary, and telecommunications shutdowns in the zones makes it difficult to get a true picture of the extent of the violence, it is clear that they have led to deaths of numerous citizens and mass displacement. On December 3, 2022, Jawar Mohammed tweeted that at least 350 civilians were killed and 400,000 had been displaced over the past 48 hours due to violence in the East Wollega, Horo Guduru Wollega, and North Shewa zones.
It is important to note that these attacks by Amhara militias are not new, but are part of a pattern of attacks that have been perpetrated against civilians over the past few years throughout western Oromia. However, OLLAA notes that the rate at which these attacks have been accelerating since August is particularly alarming. Some have posited that the reason for the recent increase in attacks by Amhara militias is due to the Amhara regional government’s displeasure with the terms of the peace agreement between the TPLF and the Ethiopian government. It is also noteworthy that Fano has recently been endorsed by the Ethiopian federal government, as on July 8, 2022, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed called Fano a source of pride for the Amhara people and Ethiopia as a whole.
Reports of drone strikes have also continued throughout western and central Oromia over the past month, leading to the death of civilians. These drone attacks have been reported in the media most frequently in the West Wollega, West Shewa, and North Shewa zones. OLLAA’s sources on the ground have also confirmed that a drone attack took place in Wara Jarso, North Shewa zone on December 2nd, leading to the death of 80 civilians, and that airstrikes were carried out in Sassiga, East Wollega zone on December 4. Social media reports have also been circulating of airstrikes in the Begi, Gidami, and Togo districts of West Wollega and Kellem Wollega zones on December 5.
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 citizens. We therefore urge the Ethiopian government to seek peaceful means to address the conflict inside Oromia, as it has done with the TPLF in northern Ethiopia, 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.