Violence against the Amhara community in western Oromia has been pervasive since 2022, with Oromia regional security forces carrying out direct attacks against Amhara communities, mainly in East Wollega Zone. These attacks have been preceded by media campaigns and rallies echoed by prominent Oromo politicians, including Jawar Mohammed, claiming that the Amhara-based armed group Fano had first attacked Oromo civilians. This pattern of violence has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Amhara civilians.
The roots of this violence can be traced back to the 1991 revolution, when a coalition of ethnonationalist parties introduced ethnic federalism to dismantle what they described as Amhara domination. This arrangement divided residents into those considered "natives" and "non-natives," undermining the rights of those classified as non-natives and contributing to atrocities against Amhara communities. The Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) authorities exercising de facto control in eastern parts of Oromia subjected Amhara and Christian communities to widespread attacks between 1991 and 1992.
Human Rights Watch and the Ethiopian Human Rights Council documented massacres in several towns and villages between 1991 and 1992, including Gara Mulata, Weter, Bedeno, Gelemso, Asebot Monastery, Arba Gugu, and Arsi Negele. In some incidents, hundreds of people were killed, including newborns and older people, in particularly cruel ways. The introduction of ethnic federalism has left Amhara communities vulnerable to attacks, and the existing structure has been retained by Prime Minister Abiy's government and ruling party.
When Prime Minister Abiy came to power in 2018, many Amharas hoped that he would steer the country away from ethnonationalism and halt targeted attacks against Amhara communities. However, the attacks have escalated to an industrial scale, with one incident emblematic of dozens of similar cases being the Tole massacre, which took place on 18 June 2022 in Gimbi district, West Wollega Zone. Ten entire Amhara villages were wiped out, with at least 400 people, mainly women and children, killed.
The Tole massacre demonstrated the gravity of the attacks that Amhara communities have endured for decades, with perpetrators sparing neither pregnant women and their unborn children nor newborns as young as 15 days old or elderly people as old as 100. A 64-year-old survivor told of losing 22 family members, including his two wives and several descendants. This pattern has recurred both before and after the Tole massacre, with Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) forces reportedly carrying out another large-scale attack on Amhara villages in Lemlem Kebele, Hawa Galana Woreda, Qelem Wellega Zone.
The targeted attacks against Amhara communities were not solely insurgent violence, but also involved state security forces. Government security forces began carrying out attacks directly, with Oromia regional government forces continuing to attack Amhara communities directly across Kiremu and Gida Ayana woredas in the zone. This is a strong indication that the earlier OLA attacks may have been carried out indirectly in coordination with Oromia regional government authorities.
The ongoing violence against Amhara communities in western Oromia has resulted in thousands of deaths, injuries, and displacements. The structural factors contributing to this violence, including the existing ethnic federalism, have left Amhara communities vulnerable to attacks. It is essential to guarantee equality for all and address the root causes of this violence to prevent further atrocities against Amhara communities.
Key points
- Claims of self-defense risk concealing possible genocide in western Oromia
- The existing structure of ethnic federalism has left Amhara communities vulnerable to attacks
- State security forces have been implicated in the targeted attacks against Amhara communities
