Ethiopian police conduct late night raid on Oromo opposition party leader’s residence

Ethiopian security forces launched a nighttime raid on Oromo Liberation Front chairman’s residence.

At around 9 pm (Ethiopia local time), a contingent of Ethiopian Federal Police and Addis Abeba City Police descended on the house of Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) chairman, Dawud Ibsa Ayana. According to eyewitnesses, security forces beat and arrested several of Mr Dawud’s associates and bodyguards.

A video posted on social media by Mohammed Hassen Wako, one of the associates of Mr Dawud that was arrested, shows security forces trying to break down the gates leading to Mr Dawud’s compound. The security forces arrived in 3 patrol cars and blocked off roads before breaking their way into Mr Dawud’s residence. They reportedly took all the documents, phones, and computers they could find in the house. Several supporters who arrived in the area after hearing the news on social media were also arrested.

While Mr Dawud was not arrested, his current condition could not be confirmed as he is still under a several month-long house-arrest. While it is unclear what led to the raid, it is notable that it occurred mere hours after the Oromo Liberation Front released a statement accusing the federal government of “creating conflict after conflict both internally and externally to stay in power”. The timing and methodology of the raid also drew a comparison with the attempted assassination of fellow Oromo opposition party leader Jawar Mohammed, a close ally of Mr Dawud who was arrested on trumped-up charges of terrorism.

The embattled Mr Dawud recently fought off an attempted takeover by a faction led by his now-former deputy, Ararso Bikila. As the date of Ethiopia’s federal elections, June 5th, 2021, draws near, Mr Dawud is one of the only two Oromo opposition leaders who are not behind bars- the other being Professor Merera Gudina of the Oromo Federalist Congress.