Falls Church, Virginia (12/14/2021) — As previously reported by OLLAA, Ethiopian security forces had recently travelled to Motoma/Karra village, Fantaalee District, Oromia, where they attempted to convince civilians to join the war against Tigray. On December 1st, members of the security forces interrupted the political and religious Gadaa ceremony and took 40 Karayu Oromo away with them in vehicles. 14 of the Karayu Oromos taken were killed that day, including the Abba Gada and Abba Boku, religious leaders of the Karayu. A couple of those who were taken managed to escape, but the whereabouts of the remaining 23 remain unknown.
OLLAA has condemned these attacks as a form of religious targeting, and would like to announce that we have submitted information to the UN Special Rapporteurs on Minority Issues and Freedom of Religion or Belief regarding this incident. We are calling on the Special Rapporteurs to issue a communication to the Ethiopian government regarding these allegations, in which they call on authorities to take action to stop the violations, investigate it, bring to justice those responsible and make sure that remedies are available to the victims and their families.
OLLAA would like to make it clear to the public and the UN Special Rapporteurs’ offices that we will continue following this case closely. We encourage any individuals or organizations interested in this case to reach out to us. We will gladly partner and support any office that can assist in seeking justice for this community and its religious leaders.
OLLAA is an umbrella organization that represents dozens of Oromo communities around the world.