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Date July 6, 2022
To: United Nations Security Council
UN Human Rights Council
UN Human Rights Commission
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
African Union (AU)
European Union (EU)
Human Rights Watch
Amnesty International
International Diplomatic Community
From: Civil Society Organizations
Subject: Urgent Appeal for Intervention
We, Civil Society Organizations registered by The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Agency for Civil Society Organizations, are writing this to appeal for your immediate intervention in Wollega, Oromia Region, Ethiopia, to save Amhara from an on-going Rwandan like Genocide.
The former TPLF-led EPRDF (Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front) government had committed atrocious crime, such as crimes against humanity against the Amhara Community in several regions including, Oromia Regional State. Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples Regional State, Benishangul-Gumuz Regional State and Somali Regional State for three decades. Yet, no one has been brought to justice for those atrocious crimes, gross human right violations and ethnic cleansing.
Since PM Abiy Ahmed came to power in 2018, there was high hope for democracy and equality. Unfortunately, the reverse happened. Thousands of innocent Amhara civilians have been victims of gross human rights violations, ethnic cleansing, genocide and systemic displacement from Oromia and Benishangul-Gumuz regions. Currently, over five millions Ethiopian are IDP.
There were countless atrocities committed against the Amhara community in Oromia Regional State and Benishangul-Gumuz Regional State. Just to mention the recent atrocities, the Bulen and Dibate massacres in Metekel zone, Benishangul-Gumuz region were horrific. On November 1, 2021, several tens of Amharas were summarily executed on a schoolyard in Guliso district of West Wollega Zone, in the Oromia Region. Most of them were pregnant women, elders and children. On June 18, 2022, the Federal government admitted that not less than 320 Amharas were killed in Gimbi, Oromiya Region. However, right group confirmed the identity of 583 victims, and the local sources estimate the number to be 1,500 Amharas were massacred in West Wollega Tole Kebele, Oromia Regional State. Witnesses from the area have stated that ethnic Amhara have been selected and “killed like chickens”. Local source reported that the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) in collaboration with local government authorities were committed the crime. Several more were injured, and a significant number of Amhara were displaced from their residence and were in need of immediate help. While those displaced were seeking help, just in less than two weeks, on July 04, 2022, more than 190 innocent ethnic Amharas were again massacred in Qelem Welega, Mender Haya and Robit Gebeya, Oromia Regional State. The next day over 50 hostages were killed in nearby forest. Again, all of them were women and children. The repeatedunassaeres took place in similar Zone or districts of Oromia Region where millions of Amharas have henn living decades.
We, Civil Society Organizations, condemn with the strongest terms, the ongoing Amhara genocide in Oromia Regional State, and other Regional States of the Federation.
Sadly and appallingly, the ongoing genocide against Amharas has been normalized under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s administration. The state, often denies such genocide against the Amhara and in some instances, it makes promises to investigate into those atrocities and to bring those perpetrators to justice, a promise none of which were fulfilled.
For many years, government across the globe and the International Human Rights Organizations have blatantly ignored the ongoing massacres of Amhara except the recent call by the UN Human Right Commission for an independent investigation of the June 18, 2022 massacre. It is with this background that we request the international community to investigate the atrocities and intervene immediately before we witness genocide unseen before in the second most populous country in Africa. All signs indicate that there is a looming genocide greater than Rwanda in Oromia region. The world cannot sit and watch another most horrible genocide in Africa. Recently, a House of Peoples Representative member from Oromia Region disclosed that an armed group organized and supported by the Oromia regional government top leaders and local authorities are carried out the ongoing Amhara genocide in Oromia Regional State.
Hence, we call up on the UN, EU, AU and International Human Right Organizations to:
1) Denounce and stop this senseless ethnic cleansing and genocide against the Amhara
Community;
2) Establish an independent body to investigate genocide and other atrocious crimes
Committed against the Amharas;
3) Open access to national and international humanitarian actors to step up aid to survivors and those displaced fearing similar attacks; and
4) Help bring all crime perpetrators of such atrocious crimes including responsible, criminal regional and federal government authorities, and OLA to justice.
As a lasting solution, justice, law and order must prevail in Ethiopia. Only, then, the international community should support the government of Ethiopia to go forward with the national dialogue, peace, and reconciliations, revise the constitution in order to abolish the divisive ethnic federalism.
Ce:
Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, PM office
Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC)
Genocide Prevention in Ethiopia
