This report is part of OLLAA’s monthly report series documenting the ongoing pattern of human rights abuses perpetrated against Oromo and other civilians, both inside Ethiopia and throughout the world. These reports also document the humanitarian situation in southern Ethiopia, including the effects of the drought and conflict on civilians.
Humanitarian News
- High inflation is combining with the effects of conflict, drought, and aid suspension to drive more Ethiopians into hunger, including the elderly.
- The World Food Programme has resumed food aid to Ethiopia via a small pilot project in Tigray, testing a new registration system designed to avoid the corruption issues that precipitated the shutdown. USAID is continuing the suspension of its own aid program pending negotiations with the Ethiopian government, despite criticism of both USAID and WFP for withholding lifesaving aid.
- The UNFPA Situation Report indicates that cholera cases are down in most regions except Amhara, but that 1.5 million people are at risk of floods during the July-September rainy season.
- According to UN OCHA, Oromia now has almost 2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs). This number is likely a significant undercount, and IDPs are not receiving the humanitarian aid that they need. In addition, conflict has forced school closures in Oromia and Amhara regions, denying children their right to an education.
- A Devex report has revealed the depths of the humanitarian aid theft scandal in Ethiopia and its complicated political dimensions, calling into question whether the issue can be resolved without putting many lives at risk.
Human Rights Reports
- OLLAA has published 21 Humans of Oromia, detailing extrajudicial killings, sexual violence, torture, political prisoners, property destruction, and arbitrary detentions.
- The government of Ethiopia declared a state of emergency in Amhara region following clashes between Fano militias and state forces. The announcement caused alarm among human rights bodies and activists, who noted that past states of emergency have been used to justify violence against civilians. The situation now appears to have calmed, though OLLAA has expressed deep concern about the violent rhetoric employed by some Amharas.
- University lecturers found themselves stranded in Amhara region in early August, after traveling there to administer the grade 12 exams. Clashes between government forces and Fano militia prevented the lecturers from returning home, and several reported that the accommodations and per diem allowance provided by the government were insufficient. This compounded existing economic problems following delays in lecturers’ salaries for the month of July.
- Tragically, one of the lecturers, Tadesa Ababa, was killed during the clashes. He was a lecturer at Wolkite University and leaves behind a wife and children.
- Worrying reports indicate a rise in crackdowns and violence against LGBTQ+ Ethiopians, especially in Addis Ababa.
- At least 26 people were killed and many more were injured in a suspected airstrike in Amhara region during clashes between the government and Fano forces. Reports indicate that all or most of the victims were civilians.
- At least 12 civilians in the Chobi district of North Shewa zone were killed while in their houses or on the road. At least four others were injured and several were abducted, allegedly by government forces.
- Ethiopian migrants and asylum seekers have long experienced violence crossing Yemen and Saudi Arabia, and a harrowing recent report from Human Rights Watch details attacks against them by the Saudi government as they attempted to cross the border. In an apparent escalation, government forces have been raining bullets and projectile weapons on Ethiopian migrants, leaving hundreds dead or wounded. The Ethiopian government has pledged to investigate the attacks in collaboration with Saudi authorities.
- Despite widespread praise for the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement that formally ended the war in Tigray, conflict-related sexual violence has not stopped, according to a report from Physicians for Human Rights.
Governance News
- The Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People’s region formally handed over control of several districts that voted to form the new Southern Ethiopia in a referendum last year.
- Residents are protesting in the Southern Ethiopia region, as well as the nearby Kembata Tembaro zone, both of which were formerly part of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People’s region. Protesters are concerned about the proposed distribution of administrative officers in their respective legislative areas, which they view as inequitable.
- Residents in the newly formed East Borena zone also continue to protest the formation of the zone and the installation of unelected officials.
- The 11 opposition parties that make up the Caucus of Opposition Parties in Ethiopia have called for the government to cease attempting to resolve political issues by force and instead begin a nationwide dialogue process.
- The Ethiopian government announced a plan to hold a referendum on the disputed areas jointly claimed by Tigray and Amhara regions to determine which region will administer them.
Other News
- Members of the Ethiopian diaspora held their first peace conference in late July. Though the Amhara delegates walked out before the conference ended, the delegates from Oromia, Somali, and Tegaru published a list of 13 points they agreed upon.
- The governments of Australia, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America jointly expressed their concern about the violence in Amhara and Oromia regions and its growing impact on civilians.
- The United States and European Union have plans to discuss how they can support peaceful resolutions to the violence in Amhara and Oromia regions. They also plan to strategize support for the full implementation of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement in Tigray.
Conclusion and Recommendations
Southern Ethiopia, especially the Oromia region, has suffered from systematic human rights abuses at the hands of multiple Ethiopian governments. Despite Oromo leadership of the violently suppressed protests that led to Prime Minister Abiy’s rise to power in 2018, Oromos are still regularly targeted for extrajudicial killings, rapes, arbitrary detentions, and other acts of violence.
Indeed, the situation has only worsened since the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Ethiopian government signed the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoHA) in November 2022. Government security forces and non-state armed groups have returned their focus to the south, especially Oromia, leading to an uptick in violence and an exacerbation of the humanitarian crisis.
Despite this dire situation, the international community’s attention remains fixed on the fitful peace process in the north. OLLAA fears that the continued failure of the international community to pressure the Ethiopian government to protect human rights and seek a peaceful means to end the conflict inside Oromia will only lead to further loss of life and the destabilization of the entire Horn of Africa.
As such, OLLAA calls on the international community to:
- Condemn the human rights violations noted in this report, as well as all other credible allegations of human rights violations throughout the country;
- Consider launching independent investigations into reports of human rights violations committed inside Oromia and across the country, and renewing and supporting the work of the UN International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia;
- Pressure the Ethiopian government to implement a ceasefire with the OLA, pending further peace talks;
- Ensure provision of humanitarian assistance to all who need it across Ethiopia, including inside Oromia;
- Ensure all ethnic groups are included in any transitional justice measures, including inclusive dialogue processes.