OSG Report 53 Oromia is a slaughterhouse now

Oromia is a slaughterhouse now Teshale Abera, President of Oromia Region Supreme Court 2001-2006

August 2020 Campaign against Oromo in Wallega kills 446 and overwhelms prisons; demonstrators and innocent bystanders killed in Walaita, Central and Eastern Oromia; politicians and media staff detained; prisoners taken out and executed; judicial independence threatened

Despite government attempts to block information getting into or out of Oromia Region, news of the continued slaughter of Oromo, although patchy - geographically and in time, manifests orchestrated campaigns against Oromo in Western Oromia, especially Qellem in SW Wallega, in January (81 killed) and in April/May (170 killed); in reaction to protests in Central Oromia after the killing of Qerroo icon, Hachalu Hundessa on 29 June (at least 67 killed) and at protests in Eastern Oromia in August (62 killed).

OSG has now recorded 1134 extrajudicial killings of civilians by government forces since three students were shot dead in Jimma Agaro in October 2018. The campaign against OLF supporters, Qerroo/Qarre members and their families began in earnest in West and East Wallega in the last week of December 2018. Ten were killed in Wallega between 17-31 December 2018 (OSG Report 50, p.11). Although there were rumours of ‘substantial numbers’ killed on 23 December in Hararge, confirmed killings were not recorded until January 2019 (OSG Report 50, p.10).

The notions exist: - that the pogrom in Wallega is a proportional response to armed rebellion by the Oromo Liberation Army - that the use of live ammunition against demonstrators is justifiable to control mobs of rampaging Oromo youth These notions are simply no longer tenable. The consistent patterns of targeted killings of OLF and Qerroo/Qarre supporters and their families and the reckless killing - including children, women working in or from home, mentally disabled, homeless, bystanders - clearly demonstrate that this is careless persecution; certainly not crowd control. Dr Trevor Trueman, Galato. Chair, OSG September 2020

From October 2018 to December 2019, OSG has recorded 505 deaths at the hands of government forces, including 100 Qimant in Amhara Region and 150 Sidama in SNNPR. Excluding 56 killed in Benishangul-Gumuz by local militia, 104 of the remaining 199 Oromo killed were in Western Oromia, all except 5 from Wallega, mostly Qellem. The next highest body count in Oromia Region in 2019 was 72 in E and W Guji zones in the south.

During 2020 so far, Ethiopian security forces have killed at least 571 Oromo in Oromia and 58 Walaita in SNNPR. No fewer than 342 have been killed in western Oromia alone during 2020, all except 13 in Wallega, again mostly in Qellem, where support for the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) is strong.

Read full Report at https://mhy.3c2.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/simple-file-list/Report-53.pdf

Source: https://oromiasupport.org/osg-reports/