Civilians in Western Oromia are suffering under military rule. Beatings, unlawful arrests, and extrajudicial killings meted out to innocent civilians by government security forces in West Wallaga Zone of Oromia have become a daily reality, a disturbing report sent to the Oromia Support Group (OSG), a UK-based human rights organization documenting violations in Ethiopia, reveals.
The report gives us a glimpse into the ongoings of the six-year conflict in Oromia. Testimonies describe a daily situation that echoes the feudal era when landlords imposed taxes on locals, collected bodies for wars and denied services to those abstaining or protesting going as far as prosecuting them.
In Chalia, a town in the Guliso District of the West Wallaga Zone, government security forces executed Melese Kabeta, a 40-year-old community organizer, in full view of the public on July 7, 2024. Tamiru Barude, a sergeant, is quoted as saying Kabeta was his 14th “Shane,” a term the government uses for members of the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) rebels fighting against it in Oromia. The sergeant didn’t shy away from expressing his pride in overseeing the murder of 13 other people in the district.
Between June 9 and July 8, 2024, government security forces also killed 17-year-old Lati Tekilu, 18-year-old Abraham Urgessa, and 25-year-old Galana Lema in the same district.
Detention at will is another method government security forces routinely use against anyone deemed suspicious without constitutionally guaranteed due process. These detentions are characterised by abuse, both physical and mental.
In the Guliso, Aira, and Bodji Choko districts, a total of 60 civilians ranging from teenagers, elderly men and women were arrested without any justification. Amenti Tolesa was stopped and detained while transporting a patient, a small child, to a hospital in Guliso District. He was ordered to pay 3,000 ETB. In Gida Bikir, Kibiru Bedasa fled from security forces, abandoning his motorcycle to avoid possible torture or death.
In what seems to be a return to a bygone era, the report reveals that citizens face excessive taxation and revenue collection practices that lack structure and legal procedures. They are sometimes denied receipts and are often forced to make financial contributions to the state, which are frequently directed to the National Army.
In a similar fashion to the Tigray war, access to critical services within the Zone is likewise restricted. Bed nets, which guard against malaria-carrying mosquitoes, are withheld from individuals who have not paid the Health Insurance fee for the year 2024. Ambulance services, which are only available in district towns, are mostly used by government security forces than civilians. Those who did not pay the health insurance fee are also denied referral papers to get treatment elsewhere.
Censorship on the internet and media is used to prevent the dissemination of information. Internet connectivity is only available in district towns, and access to mobile networks works only when the government sees fit. Mass Media outlets that broadcast impartially are jammed.
Financial institutions are instructed to only withdraw a maximum of 5,000 ETB/customer. Fertilizer distribution is withheld from those who have not paid the punitive taxes. Rural areas are not served by public transportation.
Read the full report here.