Falls Church, Virginia (12/20/2021) — On December 18th, it was reported that four young Oromo men had been extrajudicially executed by Oromia special police forces in Naqamtee town, East Wollega zone.Ā Apparently, these young men had been arrested the previous week while sitting in a local cafe with their friends, and, despite attempts from their friends and family, no one had been able to ascertain the reason for their arrest and detention. Extrajudicial killings involve the deliberate killing of individuals outside of any legal framework, and amount to a violation of the right to life. As explicitly articulated by the UN Human Rights Committee in General Comment No. 6 on Article 6 of the ICCPR (Right to Life), it is the duty of States to āprevent arbitrary killing[s] by their own security forcesā.
On December 19th, it was reported that Oromo civilians had been killed by pro-government forces after a clash between Ethiopian government forces and the OLA in the Wollo Oromia special zone of Amhara region. According to this report, after the fighting between the two groups had ended, Ethiopian soldiers and allied militia groups attacked several civilians, who had not been involved in the conflict, in Dawa Chaffa and Dawa Herawe villages, leading to the death of at least 41 innocent civilians. OLLAA expresses its profound sympathy and support for those victims who were killed or injured in the attacks, and condemns any attacks or acts of violence committed against innocent civilians as an act of revenge for conflicts between armed groups. We note that the Ethiopian government has a duty to protect civilians and fully and impartially investigate these crimes and ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable.
OLLAA calls on the international community, including the US government and United Nations Human Rights Council, to respond to these violations of the right to life by Ethiopian security forces, including by issuing statements publicly condemning these attacks, and taking action to ensure that the individuals responsible for these acts are held accountable. The international community should consider launching independent investigations into these allegations, as well as all other allegations of human rights abuses perpetrated against civilians throughout Ethiopia since 2018.
OLLAA is an umbrella organization that represents dozens of Oromo communities around the world.