Eritrean and Ethiopian Troops Accused of Brutally Killing 7 Civilians in Western Oromia

Eyewitnesses state that 7 civilians in the Sayo Nole district of West Wellega, Oromia, were shot and hacked to death with axes by a group of Ethiopian and Eritrean troops.

May 4th, 2021 — According to residents of Sayo Nole district who spoke to Kello Media, local farmer Umama Wirtu had just returned home for lunch at around noon when Eritrean and Ethiopian troops moving through the area pulled him out of his home and shot him to death. The eyewitnesses state that the troops then proceeded to use axes to hack anyone in the vicinity to death. These include Hawani Dheresa and her daughter Natsahe Mole as well as a local elder called Jimma Kumera. The total death toll currently stands at 7.

This report is the latest of a number of documented instances of extrajudicial mass killings committed by the Ethiopian military in Oromia but it is the first reported case which involves the Eritrean military. The Ethiopian military has been engaged in counterinsurgency campaigns throughout the country- most significantly against the Tigrayan Defence Force (TDF) in Tigray and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) in Oromia. Following confirmation of the deployment of Eritrean troops in Tigray where they have engaged in large-scale atrocities against civilians, there were several reports of a similar deployment of Eritrean troops into Oromia. The Oromo Liberation Army stated that they had procured “concrete evidence of the deployment of Eritrean troops into Oromia state” and researcher Martin Plaut echoed claims by underground Eritrean sources that stated two Eritrean brigades had entered Oromia.