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| 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
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