Disturbing footage reveals peasants’ abuse by Abiy Ahmed regime officials in Jimma Zone, Oromia

 A disturbing footage showing four peasants being abused both verbally and physically, including being ordered to undress, kneel and beaten in front of a crowd of local people, is confirmed to have taken place in Jimma Zone, Gera District, in a special location known as Borcho Deka.

the picture taken from the viral video

The widely shared video, which caused distress and uproar among Ethiopian online communities, shows four peasants lined up next to a group of local communities sitting in a field. One of the peasants, an elderly individual who is now identified as Raya Aba Oli, dressed in black, pleads with an unseen person, purportedly a local official behind the camera, and expresses his grievances. He also asks for forgiveness and says informing the law enforcement was “a mistake” he would not repeat. But in response, a commanding voice instructs him to “remain silent”; a few minutes later he was instructed to remove his clothes before he disappears from the camera’s view.

Amar Temam, a resident who closely followed the incident, confirmed to Addis Standard that the intimidating voice of the official in the video belonged to a one Dinka Aba Oli, chief of security in the district. Amar further says that Dinka directed law enforcement officers to inflict off-screen violence on the elderly peasant.

The video then captures the same authoritative voice calling for a man named “Asamnew” and instructing him to undress the elderly peasant behind the camera’s view. The orders are soon followed by sounds of a beating, with the bystanders gasping and turning around to watch.

The local resident Amar Temam further added context to the events leading up to this disturbing scene. According to him the four peasants had previously paid their annual land taxes and and requested for receipts from local authorities. However, their requests were refused. In search of justice, they approached the district administration, explaining they had fulfilled their tax obligations but hadn’t received any documentations. Their plight took a dire turn when, instead of receiving assistance, they were arrested and taken back to their local community. In a shocking public display, they were subjected to the humiliating treatment recorded in the video. Amar says that this was a calculated act by the authorities to shame them publicly, an action that has since caused widespread outrage and shock among community members and beyond.

The incident adds up to a growing pattern across the Oromia region of civilians being subjected to cruel and unhinged abuses in the hands of officials including law enforcement officers. Early this month, witnessed  a graphic picture showing five young men dumped in a ditch with their hands tied behind their backs was that of residents of Qilxu Karra town in Qilxu Karra district, West Wollega Zone of Oromia region. The pictured youth: Obsi Dinagde, Tesfaye Terfasa, Iyassu Kassahun, Abebe Dhufera and Dessalegn Bulcha, were being abused by security forces while they were under police custody.

#RespectHumanRight #Justice #Freedom

Human Rights Body Calls for Action in Ethiopia's Oromia

 In its annual report this month, the state-appointed Human Rights Commission urged officials to pay closer attention to the tensions and violence in the Oromia region.

The commission said there have been attacks in 13 of the 20 zones in the Oromia region, leading to an alarming number of casualties and an extremely concerning overall situation.

Deputy Commissioner Rakeb Melese said the rights commission is emphasizing the need for peaceful negotiations.

"The retaliation measures taken by government equally incurs human rights violations because civilians are affected, people are displaced, because of the retaliatory measures," Rakeb said.

Fighting between the federal government and the Oromo Liberation Army has caused thousands of deaths and displaced millions of people in the region over the past four years.

A former resident and teacher in the Horo Guduru Welega Zone, who wanted to remain anonymous, said school has been disrupted for the past two years where he used to live.

"I have taught for a long time there — for 26 years," he said. "But because of the security problems there, I left. I am now in Addis Ababa. Even the way we left was in special circumstances, we walked 90 kilometers on foot — those of us who were able to leave."

The resident said that the attacks are being carried out by militias, known as Fano, from the neighboring Amhara region.

"We know very well that it's the armed fighters, Fano. They are the ones stealing, killing and displacing people," he said. "Everyone knows this, including government bodies. They are creating major problems."

Amanuel Adinew, executive director at the Center for Development and Capacity Building, which works in Oromia, said the conflicts have created mistrust in the community.

"The state of anarchy created around these areas of conflict is behind increasing levels of cruelty. It has eroded the trust that people had in one another," Amanuel said.

In addition, he added, many social institutions aimed at helping people in need are no longer functional.

Peace talks between the Ethiopian government and the OLA took place in April, but ended without any agreements.

#Justice #Freedom #Democracy #EnoughWithDictatorialRegime #AbiyAhmedRegimeAreNotCapableOfGovernance

Tragic fact behind viral photo of five youth dumped in a ditch in Western Oromia

 The photo showing five young men dumped in a ditch with their hands tied behind their backs has been widely shared on social media over the past week. Some social media users claimed the disturbing image showed youth who were killed and thrown into the ditch, while others say they were buried alive.

According to the sources, the incident happened in Qilxu Karra town of Qilxu Karra district in West Wollega Zone, Western Oromia.

The five young men seen in the photo are residents of Qilxu Karra town are Obsi Dinagde, Tesfaye Terfasa, Iyassu Kassahun, Abebe Dhufera and Dessalegn Bulcha.

Around two weeks ago, they were detained by government forces on allegations of having links with the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) and were taken to a military camp stationed in the town near the Qilxu Karra secondary school.

A resident of Qilxu Karra town and one of the two witnesses who spoke on conditions of anonymity said, Obsi Dinagde, one of the five youth with whom the source has family relations was hospitalized following a “severe assault and torture” inflicted on the five victims after their detention.

 

They were able to speak to the victim while he was in a hospital and learned that the five victims were made to suffer in the ditch day and night for several days, blindfolded and their hands tied behind their back. They ere also forced to dig the ditch where they were left for days.

The source added that four days after Obsi recovered and was discharged from the hospital, local security forces took him back to a nearby military camp last week.

A second witness, who is a friend of one of the victims, and who also spoke on conditions of anonymity for fear of their safety, said that the victims “barely differentiate day and night as they were blindfolded” for days.

It is believed that they remain detained by the security, however their current circumstances is not known. “If they are still in the ditch they all certainly are ill and may need medical treatment,” the source said indicating that the location was the ditch is unknown.

The families were disallowed from visiting them in the military camp where they were supposed to be after their detention, and they know little about what is happening to them apart from handing food over to the security guards on a daily basis.

#EnoughIsEnough #StopKillingInnocentCivilians #Justice #Freedom #Oromia

The people in Western Oromia face hunger, malaria exacerbates already dire humanitarian situation because of the recent attack by Abiy Ahmed forces & fano

 Residents of Horro Guduru and East Wollega zones in Western Oromia who were displaced by multiple attacks allegedly perpetrated by Fano militants over the past month are suffering from a severe humanitarian crisis. The IDPs said they have not received any humanitarian assistance and are facing hunger, and exposed to further security threats in the absence of shelter and health services.

In June, reported two incidents where the Fano armed militants killed at least five in Amuru district of Horro Guduru, and eight in Kiremu district of East Wollega zones resulting in the displacement of thousands of civilians.

A farmer from Sidan Barkale village of Amuru district who spoke on conditions of anonymity said he lost his wife and son during the June attack in Amuru. The farmer who is currently in Gida town, in East Wollega zone said neither the government nor NGOs provided him with assistance since he was displaced.

“I beg around the town and feed myself,” he said, adding that the militants looted his cattle and other properties before burning his house. 

Dhaba, another IDP who fled Bute Gudina village in Gida Ayana district of East Wollega zone to Gida town said he and his family are in “heavy misery”. “We are in a terrible situation as we cannot go back to our villages and do our farming. The Amhara insurgents have set fire to our houses and crops,” Dhaba, who asked to be identified only by his first name, said.

He noted that the assistance provided to him and his 11 family members by the government is not enough even for one person. “We are in trouble that is difficult to speak about unless God brings us a year,” Dhaba said.

Local officials as well as officials from the Busa Gonofa Oromia, a regional relief commission were unavailable to comment on the dire situation in the two zones making it impossible to get data on how many people are displaced following the recent attacks.

In February, reported that nearly 30,000 people who were internally displaced following deadly attacks in Kiremu and Gida Ayana districts of East Wollega zone in November last year and have since been living in IDP shelters in the small Gida town were hesitant to return home citing lingering insecurity despite officials urging them otherwise.

The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) have repeatedly reported that the humanitarian situation in Western Oromia continued to worsen since 2020, and said in May this year, about 859,000 displaced people are in need of protection and other multi-sectoral support.

In its latest situation report released on 03 July, the OCHA said malaria is wreaking havoc in the four Wellega zones in Western Oromia worsening the humanitarian situation that is already on the edge. 

“Across West, East and Kellem Wollega zones, an estimated 272,400 people are reportedly affected, and at least 45 per cent of health centers and 63 per cent of total health posts across West, East, Horro Guduru, and Kellem Wollega zones are non-functional according to zonal authorities”. 

The OCHA said distribution of anti-malaria drugs in East, West and Horo Guduru zones beyond the zonal capitals, as well as humanitarian partners’ operations including the delivery of supplies to zones are constrained by sporadic hostilities or roadblocks.

“Besides access challenges, there remains a shortage in anti-malarial drugs and rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), long lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLIN), and lack of insecticides to manage permanent breeding sites, and for which resources need to be mobilized,” the OCHA said.

The spread of malaria amid ongoing rainfall and waterlogging, is exacerbated by the weak health systems due to hostilities, OCHA’s report added.

On 22 June, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said critical infrastructures including health facilities and water systems have been seriously affected in the Oromia due the ongoing violence. 

‘extrajudicial killings’ by uniformed Abiy Ahmed forces are continued. The international community must put pressure on the regime

 

Abiy force execution of civilians

A graphic video of uniformed government security forces shooting two people, in civilian clothes with their hands tied behind their backs and facing away, in the back of their heads surfaced the social media this month. The uniformed security forces involved in the execution were seen wearing Sidama regional special forces’ uniform.

AFP Fact Check and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) confirmed that the clip shows an execution in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, in Western Ethiopia, which has seen recurring violence linked to ethnic tensions. EHRC described it as an “extrajudicial execution” whereas, AFP reported that the incident took place in early 2022.

“That day, two people named Habtamu Ayana [father of three] and Takele Mengesha were killed in that inhuman manner. These people were peaceful farmers. Takele’s father was arrested. When Takele heard this, he ran to where his father was kept. Even going there directly shows that he is a peaceful man. But when he got there, they caught him and arrested him,” Temesgen said.

According to Temesgen, Takele and Habtamu were brutally murdered days after being taken to Gilgal Balas prison. He said the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF), Sidama Regional Special Forces and Amhara Regional Special Forces were deployed in Benishangul Gumuz region at the time.

“You! stand properly. Don’t move”, one of the uniformed men says in Amharic as one can clearly hear from the clip. “Shoot them! Shoot them,” another one says. Two of the armed men then shoot the pair at point-blank range in the back of their heads. The victims fall to the ground. One of the armed men fires again before walking away. The individual filming the scene approaches the victims zooming in on their faces. He then directs the lens towards himself and points at it before turning the camera back towards the motionless victims.

Temesgen claims that he has concrete evidence that 78 ethnic Oromo civilians have been killed “just because of their identities” in the past two years in the Benishangul Gumuz region, and countless killing and looting have been committed by government security forces.

In a statement issued on 05 June, after the video was widely shared across social media platforms, the Sidama Region Peace and Security Office said that the armed men seen in the video wearing the regional special force’s uniform are not known and that they are not members of the regional special force. The statement which described the special force as “an army known for its good conduct, strict discipline and efficient performance of national duties at the national level,” denied involvement in the execution.

Despite lack of substantial evidence that the armed men seen in the video, are actual members of the Sidama region special force, in September 2021, Sidama regional special force along with special forces of Gambella and Southern Nations, Nationalities and People’s Region (SNNPR) were deployed to Bulan district of the Metekel Zone in Benishangul Gumuz region “to carry out a peacekeeping mission under the regional command post”.

There is neither active investigation into the incident nor publicly available information on attempts by federal or regional authorities to hold the perpetrators accountable. The EHRC Benishangul Gumuz office head Gurmesa Bafuta informed that it is yet to release final outcomes of the investigation into the incident and that the commission will follow up on accountability measures to be taken.

This is not the first time that government security forces have been exposed for horrific killings of civilians in Benishangul Gumuz region. Last year, a footage was circulating on social media while human beings were burned alive.

On March 2022, a gruesome five minute footage showing government security forces [members of the special forces from the Amhara and Southern Nations Nationalities and People’s (SNNP) regional states along with members of Ethiopian National Defense Forces] burning a victim to death in Aysid Kebele in Guba woreda of the Metekel zone in the Benishangul Gumuz region flooded the social media.

The perpetrators were heard saying they were avenging the death of a security personnel who was a major in his rank. They were also heard exchanging curse words and using dehumanizing language towards their victims, one of whom was seen to be alive while being burned in the fires.

In June 2022, a disturbing footage of a member of the Gambella regional government security forces shooting repeatedly at an unarmed man whose hands are tied behind his back in the capital of Gambella regional state made rounds on several social media platforms following what the Gambella Liberation Front (GLF) and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) called a joint operation in the city.

Residents of Gambella city who insisted on remaining anonymous told during that time, government security forces were searching residences for alleged members of “OLA”, and were shooting at anyone who ran away from them, men whose hair is braided and especially those who speak Afaan Oromo.

In September the same year, Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said in a report that civilians were extra judicially killed mainly by government security forces during a clash between the regional security forces and coalition of armed groups Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) and Gambella Liberation Front (GLF).

At least 50 civilians, who were accused of “hiding OLA fighters and weapons in their homes”, were killed “mainly by government forces” between the afternoon of 14 June and 16 June, the reports says. Women and mentally ill individuals were among the victims. In addition at least 25 people were lightly and seriously injured, numerous people were beaten and tortured, individuals were vandalized and looted.

Incidents where government security forces commit executions while recording themselves have been increasing over the past years in the context of the war in the Northern part of the country and other conflicts in other parts of the country.

“In the past, it was difficult to investigate and identify perpetrators because most of the killings committed by government forces against civilians were carried out in secret. Now they record and release their own videos showing every step of the execution, so it is not difficult to identify them. But it is the gross immunity coverage on the government bodies that is the problem. Thus, while we see so many people being killed and burned alive, there is no proven responsibility yet.”

#StopTheKilling #Justice #Freedom #Democracy