Falls Church, Virginia (04/21/2021)—OLLAA stands in deep solidarity with the Kemant (Qimant) people of Ethiopia and mourns the recent murder of Kemant civilians by the Ethiopian government.
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April 14 Conflict
On April 14, Amhara liyu and Ethiopian federal soldiers launched a military campaign in Aykel, Chilga, and the surrounding areas of Gondar. Activists say the soldiers are going door to door and killing civilians because they are Kemant. Using heavy artillery, the soldiers are also shelling the homes, schools, hospitals, and farms of innocent Kemant families on account of their ethnicity.
Survivors say the military has reached Gondar city itself and is rapidly expanding its murderous campaign to all Kemant-populated areas. The community cannot yet determine a precise death toll, as the military has cut all internet and communications within the region.
Sources also report that Ethiopian soldiers are using heavy artillery in the form of mortar, anti-aircraft guns, and heavy machine guns against civilians. If verified, these acts represent direct violations of the Geneva Conventions and require a swift response from the international community.
Background
Since November 2015, the Kemant population has suffered continuous killing and repression by the regional and federal governments of Ethiopia. This abhorrent governmental campaign is motivated by land. The Kemant people’s traditional lands are of key importance to the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Just as the Ethiopian government continues to permit the killing and repression of the Oromo, Tigrayan, and Gumuz peoples, the government is using military force against innocent Kemant citizens for its own political gain.
The International Community Must Act
In solidarity with our Kemant brothers and sisters, OLLAA implores the international community to intervene now. We urge the US, EU, and UN to undertake the following response:
- Use your good offices, powers, profession and whatever means possible to save the lives of Kemant people under siege in the city of Gondar and surrounding areas. Amidst the communications blackout, governments must sound the alarm and garner international awareness of the killings.
- Help the wounded, displaced, kidnapped, and detained Kemants get humanitarian assistance by international humanitarian organizations like the Red Cross.
- Appeal to the UN Security Council to launch an independent investigation into the violence, both this recent wave of killings as well as the events from 2015 to present.
OLLAA is an umbrella organization that represents dozens of Oromo communities around the world.