War in West Oromia: “We are bleeding!”
WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES
December 24th, 2018 — Following the launch of counterinsurgency operations in west Oromia by the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF), several sources say there have been a series of killings and beatings of civilians by members of the national military. The military operations are a result of a breakdown of relations between the recently returned Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and the ruling Oromo Democratic Party (ODP).
RET1 News has previously reported on a massacre of seven civilians in Lallo Asabo district allegedly committed by an ENDF convoy heading to the town of Dambidollo. Yesterday, a similar incident occured in the district when a 70 year old man named Wakwaya Nagasa Fayisa was shot. The bullet broke his arm and he is currently recieving treatment at Gimbi Hospital. According to him, he was sitting outside his house when members of the national military opened fire hitting both him and an unnamed young male.
Yesterday, the town of Gimbi erupted with gunfire several times. Two men were killed: a local day laborer was shot while walking home and mentally ill homeless man named “Getachew” was killed while standing in the market
Gimbi residents reported that shelling from a Soviet-era ZU-23 anti-aircraft gun hit the third floor of a tower owned by a local business man. Several other buildings were also hit with stray bullets.
“I am not sure who the military is shooting at in the middle of the city but they are firing straight into populated areas. Does OLF have aircraft? This is not right.” — retired Oromia Police officer in Gimbi
The military also conducted door to door searches and detained several men who eyewitnesses report had their clothes torn off before being severely beaten and taken to the military camp. The following are the names we recieved.
- Tesfaye Fantahun
- Sayyid Fantahun
- Ratta Tessema
Residents in hotspots like Gimbi and the towns of Dongoro and Begi have expressed their anger at both state and private media who they feel have so far ignored their plight.
“Forget about the media, the media has forgotten us.They have sided with the government and turned their back on the people. Yesterday, we bled together and today we are bleeding by ourselves.”- teacher in Gimbi
“I thought we had entered a time of maturity when we can negotiate our problems and fix them. Instead we are being attacked by OPDO on the media and by the makalakaya in our homes.”- resident of Makka Najjo (OPDO is ODP’s former name, “makalakaya” refers to the national military)
A Gimbi town official who did not want to be named criticized the military’s urban presence:
“The military needs to leave urban areas before we see even more bloodshed. The party is sending us communiques on how justify these military operations but I am personally not convinced. Any security issue can be more than handled by Oromia Police.”- Gimbi town official
However, a former military officer stationed in west Oromia to act as a liaison between the Oromia regional security bureau and the national army told us that military activities in urban areas were a necessity. He asked that we refer to him only as “Temesgen”
“The Oromo Liberation Army has a network of civilian agents called Keyro. Our operations are being severely disrupted by this network. Throughout this region, they have blocked roads and passed information to the bandits. They are also the main source of food supplies for the bandits. The urban operations are necessary to deter Keyro and vital for the success of the main operation against the criminal elements in rural areas.- “Temesgen” regional and national security liaison
He went on to point at the recent successful capture of “Abba Torbe” in Addis Ababa as an example of an urban operation. He explained that “Abba Torbe” was a Keyro-linked assassination squad that was responsible for dozens of high-profile killings that took place over the last two years. He explained:
“Abba Torbe has its roots in this region. Civilians recieved training from the bandits to target police commanders, government officials and model farmers. There is a trend of criminality here that requires strong force to stamp out.” — “Temesgen” regional and national security liaison
So far the only indications of military engagements between the OLA and the Ethiopian military are the helicopters and military trucks that have become a fixture of roads and skies in this region. The helicopters carry wounded or dead ENDF soldiers to military medical facilities while the trucks carry supplies, reinforcements to the frontlines and bring back captured OLA soldiers.
The war looks like it has just began, the military is building encampments in both urban and rural areas in preparation for a longterm counterinsurgency effort. Caught in the middle of this conflict are civilians whose voices have been drowned out in the midst of increasingly louder and more aggressive rhetoric from the OLF and the Ethiopian government.
Article was written in collaboration with Wallagga University partners. We would like to thank our sources for being willing to talk to us. Attempts to reach OLA commander Kumsa Diriba or his officers were unsuccessful.
Part of our ongoing coverage of War in West Oromia.
