Justice for "Karrayyu Abba Gadaas" were executed by Oromia police

 Six of the jailed members of the Karrayyu Gadaa leadership who were initially said to have gone missing after the unlawful deaths of 14 members of the Karrayyu Gadaa Michilee leaders were released on December 31, 2021 reports said. A survivor of killings, who was later jailed alongside 22 others, for the first time gave  first-hand accounts of the incident that unfolded at Karra, where a prayer ceremony, Waaq Kadhaa was being held on December 1. Weeks after the incident, members of the ruling party accused the Oromia police of having involvement in the execution Karrayyu Abba Gadaas.

“We were unsuspecting when Oromia police arrived and immediately encircled us. We’ve always had a good relationship with government officials,” said the survivor who didn’t want his name to be disclosed for fear of retribution. He recalled, “They provided no explanation as they unexpectedly showed up and began searching homes, looting properties, and confiscating weapons and traditional armaments.”  

“They told us that we were going to die in a few hours. They even asked us to give them our money before we die.”

A survivor of the execution

Some of Karrayyu’s Gadda Michille leaders, Councilors and Qallu (Spiritual leaders) who were executed on December 1, 2021

“They told us that we were going to die in a few hours. They even asked us to give them our money before we die.”

A survivor of the execution

“They rounded up 39 of us then loaded us on the cargo bed of a pick-up truck. We trusted that they meant no harm. Soon after, they started threatening us and accusing us of killing their members. We didn’t know what they were talking about. There hadn’t been any violence in our area,” he continued, “They were intimidating us the entire drive. They told us that we were going to die in a few hours. They even asked us to give them our money before we die.” 

The survivor recalled that after we arrived at a remote area, they were asked who among them was from Haro Kersa Kebele. According to him, 16 people were identified and were ordered to lay on the ground face down and shot. “Some of them started beating us while others shot those who were lying down. We were forced back on the cargo bed of the truck,” he said, adding “I was appalled to hear that wild animals scavenged from their bodies for days.” 

Weeks after the incident, members of the ruling party publicly admitted government forces’ involvement in the killings. In a live Facebook video, Hangasa Ibrahim, a member of the House of People’s Representatives accused the head of Oromia police commissions, commissioner Ararsa Merdasa of being behind the killings.  Another government official attributing the killing to government forces is the state minister of peace, Taye Dendea. On his personal Facebook page with over half a million followers, the state minister implied that the Karrayyu Gadaa leaders were killed by elements within the regional government. Repeated attempts to speak with both government officials were unsuccessful. 

The survivor recounted that the remaining people were driven to an area called Sogido where an Oromia Special Forces training camp was located. All the 23 of them were detained in what he describes as a room big enough for two people. “We were met with another round of beatings at the camp. We were beaten until we passed out,” he said.  

On Friday, December 3rd, the detainees were relocated to another detention center. “We were loaded on the back of a truck and ordered to lay down face down so that we couldn’t see where they were taking us. When we arrived somewhere around Mojo, they covered our faces as we got off the back of the truck. We were then locked in a dark room,” he said. He remembers that their detainers registered their names. 

He also spoke of the death of one of the captives, Jilo Borayu Hawas who died on December 8.  “Jilo succumbed to hunger in addition to the beatings. They didn’t take out his body for four nights. We shouted for help for days to no avail. They took his body out on Saturday after the elders found us. They only started giving us food after his death. Some who got too weak from starvation received medical care,” he said.  

The survivor who remains apprehensive of being rearrested warned the Abba Gadaa union of what he called attempts to disfigure the truth. “Politics and Gadaa aren’t the same. We want the union and all Oromos to know our truth.”

" We reiterate our call for a thorough and credible investigation into the circumstances and motives behind Haacaaaluu’s cold-blooded murder. " OFC

 Statement from OFC leaders upon their release from wrongful imprisonment

We were released on the 7th of January 2022 after 18 months of wrongful imprisonment. It bears repeating that our arrest and detention in the aftermath of the assassination of the iconic Oromo artist, Haacaaluu Hundeessaa, was motivated by political considerations. It’s also not lost on our jailers that we committed no offense and that we were held unlawfully on bogus charges designed to increase the ruling party’s electoral fortunes. The decision to expunge us from the political space - in the run up to the general elections - was made because the ruling party saw us, our movement, and our causes, as a threat to its grip on power.

A lot has happened in Ethiopia since our forced removal from the political space. The worst possible scenario that we desperately tried to prevent has come to pass. Not only was the hope for a democratic transition totally dashed, the country descended into a regrettable and devastating civil war. From inside our spaces of confinement, we watched in horror the plights of millions of civilians affected by the destructive war and resulting humanitarian catastrophe. As our country teetered on the brink of collapse and the social fabric shattered into pieces, all we could do from our prison cells was weep in anguish and pray for better days. We are particularly appalled and saddened by the atrocities and depredations committed against civilians in Oromia, Tigray, Benishangul Gumuz, Afar, and Amhara states.

It might be too late to undo most of the damage done to the country and its people over the last 13 months. However, we believe there is still a small window of opportunity to prevent further destruction, restore peace through reconciliation, and rebuild the country. It goes without saying that such an arduous task requires a genuine political will and good-faith engagement from all stakeholders.

To that end, we:

- Recognize the government’s recent change of tone towards seeking peace and reconciliation over conflict and confrontation that has dominated its discourse over the last two years. These encouraging promises should be followed by practical and irreversible actions.

- Call on all parties to seek a peaceful and negotiated resolution to the ongoing wars, particularly in Oromia, Benshangul-Gumuz, and Tigray. Until a negotiated, comprehensive ceasefire is achieved, we call on all warring groups to safeguard the safety and protection of civilians, property, and infrastructure.

- Call on all external actors to play a positive role to end the civil war in Ethiopia and facilitate peace and stability in the Horn of Africa region. We implore them to refrain from fuelling the conflict by providing political or material support to any of the warring parties. In particular, countries in the Red Sea area and the wider international community should - with one voice - apply pressure on all parties to sit for a negotiated settlement to end the war.

- Call on the Nations, Nationalities, and People of Ethiopia to resist the ongoing civilian militarization, hate mongering, and unbridled call to arms. We also call on the media to play its part by refraining from broadcasting partisan narratives and fanning hateful propaganda.

- Continue to mourn the loss of the iconic Oromo artist, Haacaaluu Hundeessaa. We reiterate our call for a thorough and credible investigation into the circumstances and motives behind Haacaaaluu’s cold-blooded murder. His family and the public at large deserve to know the truth about who planned, ordered, and carried out such a heinous attack on one of the Oromo nation’s most treasured and prolific artists of this generation. Marred with political interference and cover- ups, the justice system has failed to provide a believable account of what happened the night that Haacaaluu was assassinated - let alone prosecute the perpetrators. We, therefore, call for the establishment of an independent investigative body to uncover the truth.

- Call for the immediate and unconditional release of many of our members and supporters, senior OLF leaders and its members, and thousands of other political prisoners, journalists, activists - including those detained in ethnically targeted raids under the State of Emergency who have not been released.

- Continue to believe war is not a solution to Ethiopia’s complex political crisis. We hope that the events of the past year have made this truism abundantly clear for the majority of political forces in Ethiopia. Only a serious and genuine negotiation and dialogue among nations and nationalities of this country can lead to lasting peace and mutually advantageous coexistence.

Finally, we would like to express our immense gratitude to the entire Oromo nation for their perseverance and tenacity in maintaining our unity and fraternity under conditions of overwhelming adversity; to those who stood by us throughout the awful ordeals of the past 18 months; to our families who cared for us with smile and optimism despite being subjected to regular harassment; our visitors who flocked every day to show their solidarity; to friends and supporters who relentlessly campaigned for our release; our lawyers who defended us passionately and bravely in the face of significant threat to their lives and career. We lack words to express our immense gratitude to the team of volunteer doctors who made regular visits to the Qaliti prison providing us with medical care during our hunger strike and beyond. We are specially indebted to Landmark Hospital and its staff who saved our lives.

We would like to pay a particular tribute to one of our defense attorneys, the late Abduljebar Hussein, a selfless defender of truth and justice who paid the ultimate price in the middle of his tireless effort to establish our innocence and secure our freedom.

Last but not least, it would be remiss of us not to express our appreciation to the federal police officers, and Kaliti prison guards and administrators who treated us with the utmost respect and dignity during our interactions. We sincerely hope the same is extended to all prisoners across the country.

  

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Drones and airstrikes by the Prosperity Party government killed and wounded several civilians in different parts of Oromia.

 

Drones and airstrikes by the Prosperity Party government killed and wounded

 several civilians in different parts of Oromia.

Press release of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) 

The Prosperity Party (PP) has continued intensifying and broadening the war in Oromia and elsewhere in the country. There is no region in Oromia where fighting is not taking place. In this round of offensive, it is being reported that the government is using Drone and Air strikes extensively and civilian casualty very high in many places. The displacement of local villagers and farmers and burning of their harvest and homes have continued across Oromia at an unprecedented level by the PP group and its affiliates such as the Eritrean Army.

In the last couple of days, we have received reports from different parts of Oromia that the PP group has been bombing villages and towns across Oromia using Drones and military airstrikes. Karrayuu area in East Showa, Hararge (in Mieso and Machara area), Gindeberat highlands and lowlands, Salalee, Meettaa Walqixxee, and Kiiramuu areas are the most recent targets of the PP Drones and airstrikes. Reports originating from these localities indicated that these targets were residential areas, and as a result, most of the casualties were civilians. This is not the first time the PP has targeted highly civilian-populated areas by Drones, but it has occurred previously in Wollo and Western Wellega areas. We believe that the PP targets civilians and residential areas in retaliation for not supporting their cynical war.

The OLF strongly condemns PP’s Drone and airstrike operations that target civilians and residential areas. We believe that the PP has committed and continues to commit crimes against humanity. Therefore, the OLF calls upon the international community to investigate these matters independently. We also appeal to the international communities and governments to pressure the PP and its affiliates to immediately halt bombing villages and towns across Oromia where civilians are highly populated.

Once again, we would like to reiterate that the Ethiopians’ multilayered political and human rights demands can only be resolved through truly stopping the war and all-inclusive political discussions and settlements, but surely not through Drones and airstrikes.

Victory to the Masses!

Oromo Liberation Front

January 1, 2022

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