Accountability for Perpetrators of State-Sponsored Crimes Under the Banner of “Koree Nageenyaa"

 Accountability for Perpetrators of State-Sponsored Crimes Under the Banner of “Koree Nageenyaa"

On February 23, 2024, REUTERS unveiled groundbreaking investigation results, revealing the most heinous acts committed by top Ethiopian government officials against innocent citizens of Oromia. Despite our continuous coverage of these atrocities over the years, the global community's response has been minimal or no response at all. The news report emphatically highlighted that "A secretive committee of senior officials in Ethiopia’s largest and most populous region, Oromia, has ordered extrajudicial killings and illegal detentions to crush an insurgency there."

Delving into the identity and actions of this clandestine committee, REUTERS revealed that the secretive group called, Koree Negeenyaa, began its operation in the aftermath of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s rise to power in 2018. The committee lies at the core of Abiy’s efforts to quell a longstanding insurgency by the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA). Providing further insight into Koree Nageenyaa's composition, the report disclosed that it convenes in the Oromia regional offices of Abiy’s Prosperity Party and is led by Abiy’s former chief of staff, Shimelis Abdisa, who also serves as the president of Oromia region. Notably, Shimelis and other committee members are of ethnic Oromo descent. Fekadu Tessema, the leader of the Prosperity Party in Oromia, along with Ararsa Merdasa, head of security for Oromiya, and several other local political and security officials, are also part of this group, according to sources cited in the report. These security and party structures extend down to the woreda and kebele levels, operating in coordination to carry out these atrocious acts on innocent citizens. For example, at the zonal level, the officials overseeing various offices effectively serve as an extended arm or structure of the Koree Nageenya;

1. Head of Zonal Administration

2. Deputy Head of Zonal Administration

3. Head of Zonal Security and Administration Office

4. Head of Prosperity Party’s Zonal Office

5. Head of Zonal Police

6. Commander of the National Defense Force of Ethiopia at the Zonal levels.

The report also confirms that the initiation of Koree Nageenya began with the Prime Minister himself. It states that people familiar with the matter said the committee was formed at Abiy’s instigation. Abiy was briefed on at least one occasion in early 2022 about the committee’s activities. Additionally, the report adds that the Prime Minister was briefed twice by officials and Karrayyu elders, particularly on the killings of the Karrayu elders. The reports of the investigation in Oromiya confirmed that the massacre of Karrayu Gada leaders and elders were carried out by government security personnel. However, no one has yet been held accountable for it.

The findings also disclose that among the heinous and barbaric killings perpetrated by Koree Nageenya was the massacre of 14 Gada leaders in Oromia in 2021 that the government has previously blamed on OLA fighters. The report also revealed that an investigation by the EHRC earlier indicated the security men conducted the killings. Two EHRC sources familiar with the case told Reuters that high-ranking government officials gave the order to kill, according to local residents and witnesses.

As highlighted in the report, one of the alarming characteristics of the Koree Nageenyaa is its extreme secrecy. The security committee is little known beyond a tight official circle. Meetings occur two to three times a week with stringent security measures. According to the report, the building was emptied of other staff, attendees handed in their phones, and documents were collected at the end of each session. The fate of innocent individuals rests in the hands of these committee members, as stated by a former judge in the Oromia Supreme Court who remarked that the Koree Nageenya decides that a person needs to be detained. Then, they arrest them without a warrant, investigation, or due process.

Furthermore, according to the report, Koree Nageenya also perpetrated the killings and detention of peaceful protesters during the uprising following the death of the renowned Oromo artist Hachalu Hundessa. The report succinctly divulged that when a prominent Oromo singer, Haacaaluu Hundeessaa, was killed in June 2020 in an attack the government blamed on Oromo rebels, clashes between protesters and police led to at least 200 civilian deaths and 5,000 arrests, according to the human rights groups. Oromia president Shimelis and regional Prosperity Party head Fekadu Tessema presided over a series of Skype calls with each of the 19 big cities and 21 zones of the region at this time, according to the two people who participated in some meetings of the Koree Nageenyaa. According to these two witnesses, Shimelis and Fekadu ordered some protesters arrested and others killed. According to one of these people, Shimelis ordered one of the zonal administrators to have his forces shoot protestors if the demonstrations got out of hand, according to one of these Koree Nageenya participants.

The REUTERS report is grounded in rigorous methodology, striving to reach every credible source. It interviewed more than 30 federal and local officials, judges, lawyers, and victims of abuses by authorities. Additionally, REUTERS reviewed documents drafted by local political and judicial authorities. These interviews and documents shed light on the workings of Koree Nageenyaa for the first time. Moreover, it contacted individuals who participated in the committee meetings, including Milkeessa Midhagsaa, who possessed first-hand information due to his previous position as a party leader. Furthermore, REUTERS presented its findings to the head of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC), Mr. Daniel Bekele, who acknowledged the existence of Koree Negeenyaa by stating, “We documented multiple cases of extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions, torture, and extortion.”

What is abundantly clear from the report and our previous statements about these malicious and terrible acts of abuse, intimidation, torture, and extrajudicial killings is that they are conducted by formally organized government structures - a designated committee referred to as Koree Nageenyaa - and its tentacles extend up to the zonal, woreda, towns, and kebele administrations. This madness is driven by a purposeful mindset and carried out through conscious and clearly formulated plans that cannot evade legal accountability. Most disturbingly, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions, torture, and extortion persist to this day in most Oromia Zones. These shocking atrocities are not being adequately addressed by human rights organizations or the media. We call upon the Oromo and the Ethiopian peoples, the peace-loving international communities, and human rights organizations to ensure that those responsible for these heinous crimes are held accountable for their dreadful actions.

Victory to the Masses!

Oromo Liberation Front

March 2024