Falls Church, Virginia (9/7/2023) – The Oromo Legacy Leadership and Advocacy Association (OLLAA) joins local and international human rights organizations in calling for the renewal of the only credible and independent institution in Ethiopia with the capacity to investigate the atrocities committed by various parties countrywide.
The International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia’s (ICHREE’s) mandate from the United Nations is “[t]o conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into allegations of violations and abuses of international human rights law and violations of international humanitarian law and international refugee law in Ethiopia committed since November 3, 2020.” The renewal of this mandate is due to expire this year, making its upcoming second annual publication likely its final report as a result of the pressure by the Ethiopian government.
In 2022, OLLAA met with ICHREE’s commissioners in Geneva to emphasize that expanding to all parts of the country and Oromia, in particular, was necessary for creating lasting peace for the whole country. While its first report last September focused mainly on the northern part of Ethiopia, OLLAA was pleased that ICHREE agreed to expand as a result of receiving credible reports of attacks against Oromo civilians by numerous perpetrators, including ENDF, Amhara militia, and Oromia special forces. This year, OLLAA has worked behind the scenes to renew ICHREE’s mandate, including meeting with US Congressional and EU MPs’ staff and UN offices. This week, OLLAA is hosting a discussion to urge members of the Oromo community to reach out to their elected officials to call for the renewal of ICHREE’s mandate.
It is disappointing that at a time of high crime by Amhara Fano, Oromia regional forces, and other militias, ICHREE may not be renewed. Increased hate speech against Oromo, the violence in the Amhara region, and reports of continuing conflict-related sexual violence in the Tigray region make a clear case for renewing ICHREE’s mandate for at least another year. Furthermore, we are concerned that the ongoing transitional justice effort will be completely left to the government, which is behind much of the violence that has included war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing. OLLAA believes that an independent and credible investigation into all parts of Ethiopia is necessary for lasting peace and a stable Ethiopia.
Finally, OLLAA urges the Ethiopian government to allow for the continuation of this investigation as a large part of the country remains in active conflict, and ICHREE is best suited to conduct the credible and independent investigation that is necessary for transitional justice and reconciliation in the country.
For media inquiries and interview requests, please contact OLLAA at info@ollaa.org.
OLLAA is an umbrella organization that works in collaboration with dozens of Oromo communities around the world.