Introduction
Merti Woreda is one of the numerous Woredas (or Districts) that fall under the East Arsi Oromia Zone. In contrast to the extensive reporting on recent conflicts in northern Ethiopia and limited coverage of southern Oromia, little to no documentation about the suffering of civilians in the East Arsi Zone, especially Merti Woreda, has been produced. Understanding the history of the situation is the first step towards addressing these problems.
In September 2018, the once-banned Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) returned to Ethiopia following the Asmara agreement. However, the agreement did not last as the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) split from the main party, accusing the Ethiopian government of betraying the deal. In response, the OLA established its base of operations in different parts of Oromia, with the East Arsi Zone becoming one of the main theaters of conflict. With both the local police forces and the Oromia Special Forces unable to remove the OLA, the government stationed 500 Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) in Abomsa, the main administrative Town to control the situation.
Caught in the middle of this conflict, people in this region have been subjected to extra-judicial killings, mass arrests, property destruction, abduction/kidnapping, and other human rights violations. Along with Abomsa Town, Wataro Dino, Hela, Bole, and Golagota, Merti Woreda is among the most seriously affected areas.
This report covers the period between the year 2020 to August 2023 in Merti Woreda and the aforementioned areas. The primary data includes interviews with five local residents and personal observations. Published media materials were also used as secondary sources.
Extrajudicial Killings
According to a local informant, the ENDF have been extrajudicially killing civilians. Some of these cases are included below:
- Ziyad Haji, 35, an innocent civil servant, was killed by the ENDF on 7 August 2023 in Abomsa Town. In the same incident, a mother passing by was shot by the same security forces while she was holding her child.
- The government security forces killed a young man (picture attached below) and displayed his body in front of the Ethio-Telecom building in Abomsa Town to terrorize the public.
Source: Informant from Abomsa Town
- As reported in a monthly situation update report published by OLLAA, Amboo Awaas and Hajii Tukee were killed by the government security forces on 23 May 2023, in Wataro Dino. According to reports, a family of four, including a mother and child, were also killed by the government security forces on the pretext that they were working with OLA forces.
- One of the respondents to this report stated that the government security forces have killed one deaf person and one person with a locomotor disability in Merti Woreda, Hela village. In the incident, the security forces raided the house of the disabled individual, searching for his family members on the pretext that they were collaborating with OLA fighters.
- Two of the government security forces raped Fayo Ahmed, a 14-year-old elementary school student. This abuse has caused her to drop out of school, and she has been left struggling with serious mental trauma.
- A 50-year-old woman, Shukri Umer, and her two-year-old daughter were subjected to arrest in the East Arsi Zone Shirka district on the pretext that her husband and son were members of the OLA.
According to the informant, the government security forces have killed many more civilians, especially in areas such as Wataro Dino, Bole, and Hela villages.
Destruction of property
According to our informant, on the pretext that the people of the area are supporting OLA fighters, houses of civilians have been destroyed at different times in Wetero Dino and Hella, with residents forced to flee. There are also circumstances where the civilians of the area were forced out without being able to gather their cattle, which then became prey for wild animals. Among the areas that were subjected to such violations were Wataro Dino and Hela.
Arbitrary Arrest and Torture
Arbitrary arrest and detention are prevalent in Merti Woreda. Government security forces often arrest civilians based on allegations of them either being members or supporters of OLA fighters in the area. Once Oromo community members have been arbitrarily detained, their rights to a fair and public hearing are not observed by the authorities. Many of the claims against these prisoners were never presented in court, and no criminal charges were formally brought against them.
Soldiers camp at what was once a private college, renamed ‘Chilalo,’ is where detainees are arrested and brutally tortured. However, this is not a formal detention center under the police administration of the town; no investigations of the abuses nor compensation for the victims have taken place.
Freedom of Movement
According to residents of the area, for over a year, the road that runs from the Town (Abomsa) to Adama City has become dangerous to travel. They state that armed groups are everywhere in the jungle, trying to stop cars and to abduct/kidnap travelers. These armed groups will only release their hostages for ransom, and there are even circumstances where they kill the victims, including murdering individuals against whom they have a personal grudge. According to the report by Oromia Media Network, these forces are asking for a ransom of a minimum of 200,000 and up to millions of Birr. Some of the incidents that have taken place on this road are detailed below:
- On 19 August 2023, three people who were traveling on this road were killed by these armed forces and a university student who traveled to the area for summer vacation was seriously injured. These include Getachew Gonfa (driver of public transport), his assistant, and Muhammad (a trader). As per the informant, armed forces ordered the driver (Getachew) to stop the car; however, knowing that these forces would kidnap everyone in the car, he refused and kept moving. However, another soldier of this group fired at the driver and the other two, all of whom died at the scene.
- On 28th August 2023, these forces stopped a car traveling from Adama City to Abomsa Town, close to the town called Bole and ordered three civil servants to get out of the car. Fearing the situation, a passenger called Fikadu, who held a management role in the Upper Awash Agro Industry Enterprise, started to try to negotiate with these forces. In response, they killed him. Two of the three civil servants fled to Bole Town. The security forces however captured and tortured the third – a civil servant of Abomsa Town named Muhammad Aman. Later that day, they sent his dead body to Abomsa Town. Muhammad was traveling back home after receiving his Master’s degree from Harambe University in Adama City. He was both a husband and father.
- At the same place, these armed men stopped a car and kidnapped an entire group of travelers, except for five women and some men with children. According to the informant, one of the travelers, a diabetic, was unable to move for long distances. He was forcibly taken along with the others.
- On 29th June 2023, two cars were stopped and their passengers kidnapped. According to the OMN report, a similar incident occurred on 26th September 2023. Some of the passengers were freed, but the troops are still holding onto individuals they believe have families who can pay the ransom.
- In the month of August 2023, these armed men kidnapped the vice manager of Sodere Resort at night from his home and asked for a ransom of five (5) million Birr from his family. His family has paid some amount of money from the total ransom asked by these forces. However, these forces couldn’t connect the family with their disappeared loved one. Therefore, the family is not sure whether he is alive or dead.
Adama is the biggest city nearest to the town and it’s an essential hub for the community. Traders travel to Adama or Finfine/Addis Ababa through Adama to buy different goods, and people like to visit their families during holidays, funerals and other occasions. Today, though, anyone traveling along this road takes the risk of being kidnapped – or killed.
Who is behind these attacks?
According to our informant, these groups have engaged in banditry in the name of OLA. The reason behind the attacks could be one of two: either they are government-hired groups trying to blackmail and divide the OLA from the public or they are bandits seeking to take advantage of the growing instability. The Oromia Media Network has also confirmed in its report that these forces are engaged in killing, theft, blocking the road and abducting the civilians in the name of OLA. According to the informant, the OLA forces have approached these forces so that they join them and rule under one command. However, these offers have been refused and sometimes met with violence. Government forces have also been unable to reign in these groups. Civilians, again, are at their mercy: anyone who tries to complain about them in public meetings could face torture or death.
The Right to Development
The asphalt road that runs from Adama City to Abomsa Town through Sodere was under construction by the Ethiopian Roads Authority. However, this project has been halted. According to our informant, the lack of peace and security in the area is a contributing factor in its disruption. In one incident, these groups who engaged in banditry have kidnapped one of the contractors and asked for a ransom in the millions. The ransom was paid, but they couldn’t proceed with the project knowing that this could happen again.
Conclusion and Recommendations
Civilians in the East Arsi Zone are suffering from various kinds of human rights violations both by government security forces and the armed groups who are operating in the name of the OLA. The community’s freedom of movement is under threat due to the non-stop abduction/kidnapping of civilians on the road from Abomsa Town to Adama City. Furthermore, the community itself is rife with suspicion, weakening its internal strength. Additionally, the absence of a peace accord between the government and the OLA forces is providing a favorable environment for other armed groups to carry out lawless activities.
Accordingly, OLLAA recommends the following:
- The media must provide the necessary coverage about what is going on in the area and advocate for peace.
- The government must ensure the security of the road, and get the situation under its control. In the meantime, the construction of the asphalt road that connects Adama to Abomsa must proceed.
- The armed groups operating in the area must refrain from acts of kidnapping civilians and terrorizing the people. The people must have safe travel, and their freedom of movement must be respected.
- The government shall reach a peace agreement with the OLA forces and get rid of the armed forces who are terrorizing the community in the name of OLA.