The residents of Sure Buqqe, a remote village in the Sabba Boru district, Guji Zone, Oromia are left in shock following the killing of a nine-month pregnant woman by “government security forces.” 

On the morning of 9 August, Suye Kutala was tending to her farm when government forces opened fire and fatally shot her. The mother of two died instantly along with her unborn child.

Her six-year-old son, who was with her at the farm on that fateful day, told the family that “the gunfire came out of nowhere while we were sitting, and struck my mother on the head.” Attempts by her family members to get the local administration to investigate the killing was met with silence. “They told us they were on their way, but no authority has yet come to look into the matter,” one resident told the BBC.

Government Response

The government security official in charge of Sabba Boru district told the BBC that a patrol had been deployed in an area where insurgents were believed to be active. He said, “intelligence reports suggested enemy movement in the area,” prompting militia and joint security forces to launch an operation.

The administrator added that the forces spent the night in the field and continued their movements the following morning based on the intelligence. “The woman was killed during an exchange of fire near the farmland,” he told the BBC. “The insurgents fired first at our troops, and in the crossfire she was struck, but it cannot be determined whether it came from government forces or the insurgents.”

However, the residents of Sure Buqqe village dispute this claim and point out that there had been no recent fighting in the area. According to the villagers, members of the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), whom government officials often accuse of operating in the region, have not been seen around the village for at least two weeks prior to the incident.

A family member told the BBC that Kutala was killed while sitting with her eldest child as she guarded their crops. He added, “the soldiers were present when a man fired from a rifle. Only one or two shots were discharged. Most of them did not fire. The bullet came from a single direction.” 

He further clarified to the BBC that at the time of her death, there was no exchange of gunfire involving other parties.

A year ago, the Center for Advancement of Rights and Democracy (CARD) reported widespread human rights abuses in Guji by both government forces and the Oromo Liberation Army, including extrajudicial killings, mass arrests, torture, forced displacement and sexual violence. The group documented 36 cases through victims, families and official records. 

Moreover, in a statement on July 31, 2025, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said the ongoing conflict in Oromia between government forces and the OLA is having a severe impact on civilians and significant harm to local communities, particularly in remote rural areas.