Appeal for European Parliament Human Rights Unit

Appeal for European Parliament Human Rights Unit

The Wayane/TPLF Instigated Massacre of the Oromos in Western Oromia
Once again the TPLF/ EPRDF regime has deliberately organized and instigated armed attack on the Oromo. This time the regime organized, trained, armed and unleashed militia from Gumuz, a nation in a region neighbouring Oromia from the West, on wanton killings of the Oromos of East Wallaggaa, Western Oromia. This is a Crime against Humanity.

The Oromo and Gumuz peoples have lived together as good neighbours for hundreds of years. It is these neighbouring peoples that the TPLF regime maliciously turned against each other causing days of violence that claimed the lives of more than 400 people, as a result of a campaign that went on from May 17, 2008 to May 19, 2008. The Gumuz militia attack on the unarmed civilian Oromos caused the death of hundreds and many more injuries and displacement of hundreds to people, and destruction of large amount of properties. The TPLF regime trained and armed Gumuz militia with AK-47 and heavy machine-guns and ordered them to commit indiscriminate killings of unarmed Oromo civilians of East Wallagaa. As a matter of the TPLF government's policy, the Oromos were disarmed and are not allowed to bear arms. The Gumuz militia attacked the unaware and unarmed civilians. Hundreds of Oromos were subjected to horrific and barbaric killings.

The militia is said to be so heavily armed that the local police themselves had to flee along with the civilians. The relevant government body and armed forces were bystanders watching the massacre of the unarmed and defenceless Oromos.

On May 17, 2008, a significant number of well armed forces from the Benishangul Gumuz regional state suddenly attacked unprepared civilian Oromos early in the morning, before they were even awake from sleep. As the attackers were well armed with AK-47 and other unmentioned heavy machine guns, and were highly trained military personnel, they inflicted deadly massive casualties on the unawake Oromo civilians.Conflicts have been reported in the following parts of East Wallagga. These are: Saasiggaa District, particularly at Haroo Waataa, Camp 4, Camp 5, Camp 8, and Baloo villages;

Limmu District, particularly at Arqumbee village; and other areas (Clear location not found): Amba 7, and Mandar 10 villages. The conflict is still spreading to other areas in the region.
Digaa District, Arjoo Gudatu, and Dimtu area new war against the innocent unarmed Oromo people 2. Scope of the attacks which is still going on The invaders¢ actions include mutilation of body parts (arms, legs, and other organs of children, breasts of women, male genitals), throat cutting and slaughtering, burning down of housings and other properties, looting of properties including animals, raping of women and children, and burning of dead bodies in masses, to make access to information impossible. Very disturbingly, the invaders seriously target the male section of the society. They also snatch infant babies from mothers¢ backs and kill, only to force the mothers to eat the flesh of their own babies.Access to information has been intentionally made difficult, not only by the killers, but also by government structures. We are able to get information only for a limited part of the victim population (Saasiggaa district), and only for limited days of the incident (May 17-19, 2008).

According to key informants and victim families, the names of which we don’t have to disclose due security reasons, the following major causalities have resulted from the incident.3. Consequences of the conflict3.1 lose of livesa total of 400 Oromo civilians are estimated to be killed until May 19, in the areas mentioned above. About 65 of the dead are from Haroo Waataa village of Saasiggaa alone. Most of the dead are male children and the elderly. Only 115 dead bodies were found and buried in groups, in just four graves (40, 30, 25, 20 bodies). The remaining bodies, most of them burnt or eaten by dogs and hyenas, are being gradually discovered.The following list provides the names of some of the dead, in Saasiggaa district. The age and other identifications of the victims could not be found, for the moment.1. Tasfaayee Qana¢aa, 2. Waq-gaarii Deetii, 3. Boggaalee Waaqtolee, 4. Salbaanaa Galataa5. Kabbadee Salbaanaa, 6. Fiqaaduu Salbaanaa, 7. Fayyisaa Wadaajoo, 8. Tarrafaa Nagaraa9. Badirii Jamaal, 10. Samu¢el Waanee3.2 InjuriesAccording to the key informants observation, about 40 seriously injured Oromo civilians were receiving medical treatment in Naqamtee Hospital as of May 19. Below is the list of only six of them, all of them from Haroo Waataa village: 1. Samuel Tolasaa (See Picture 1), 2. Daniel Dhaabaa (See Picture 2), 3. Adam Muhaammad4. Darajjee Fiqaaduu, 5. Addaamuu Imaanaa, 6. Warkinesh Fiqaaduu, 7. Abraham Mallasaa3.3 Lose of propertiesThere is no quantified information about the extent of property lose resulted from the conflict. Generally, however, the properties of three villages in Saasiggaa, including Haroo Waataa and Baloo have been irrecoverably damaged: housings and in-house properties, including crops were totally burnt down; and the livestock were looted by the invaders.

Similar types of loses of property have been reported elsewhere covered by the conflict.3.4 DisplacementCivilians in the affected areas have continued to flee their homes and properties beginning with the onset of the conflict on May 17, 2008. Until May 21, over 12, 0000 people are believed to have left their homes, and are camped in Naqamtee town and at a primary school in Saasiggaa district. According to a key informant, the Ethiopian Red Cross is providing minimum basic life-saving assistance to the victims.4. Action taken by the government to stop the conflictAccording to the Ethiopian Law, civilians are not allowed to bear arms in general. Hence, Oromo civilians are totally unarmed. On the contrary, even ordinary Gumuz people are armed. The armed invaders used that opportunity as a source of arms supply for their continued killings. However, both the regional and the federal movements exhibited significant reluctance at stopping the conflict. Although the federal government has deployed its forces, they remained witness to the raging killings, instead of stopping the killers.

They rather successfully prohibited Oromos from neighbouring villages and local militias from coming to the rescue of the victims, and from and defending themselves. Most of the loses (both life and property) happened at the presence of the federal forces.In further worsening of the situation, the government has systematically blocked access to information through prohibiting access to victims and the damaged areas, by information seekers. Neither government media nor the free press has brought the issue to public attention.

5. The TPLF Regime only this year crime against the Oromo Ever since it came to power, the TPLF/EPRDF regime has applied the outdated 'divide and rule' policy to weaken peoples' struggles for freedom and justice by sowing seeds of disharmony among friendly neighbouring peoples. The TPLF regime's track record of the past 17 years of tyrannical rule is full of such evil intrigues that instigated bloody conflicts among peoples in Ethiopia. As a result of TPLF's machinations Oromo and Sidama, Oromo and Somali, Oromo and Gedao, Anywak and Nuer, Oromo and Amhara, Oromo and Oromo, now Oromo and Gumuz and several other people have clashed. As the results thousands of innocent lives were lost, tens of thousands of people were displaced and enormous amounts of properties were destroyed in the past 17 years. For example in this year only:-

1. With the TPLF, woyane regime instigated conflict between Guji Oromo and Konso 40 peoples have lost their lives, dozens wounded and properties were destroyed.
2. In the historic place of Madda Walabu many Oromo’s have lost their lives.
3. In MI'eesso and many other places, conspiracy was made between Oromo and Somalis, in which civilian Oromo’s were murdered by the well armed groups.
4. In Wondo Genet more than 40 Oromo’s were killed by raids.
5. TPLF have armed the Afar so as the can raid to the extent of Adama.
6. In Wanbara Oromo’s are being hunted like a wild.
7.Many times and at different places in the Region of Benishangul TPLF have armed its murderers and raided the Oromo’s in Limmuu ,Gigami, Manasibuu, Gidda, Sasigga ; which is followed in huge destruction. Accordingly as of may 17/2008 on civilian Oromo’s are under armed attack by the same group.
8. The TPLF government is also active in refuge murder in the horn. In Somalia; Punta land (Bosaso) 65 were killed, 100 wounded and 250 homes burned down.
9. Every year Oromo University students are killed and dismissed from school in group.
10. The government have the same plan in other part of Oromia in near future to create conflict between Oromo and Gambela (Anyuak) South, Isaa and Oromo in the East Oromiya

The most horrific act includes killing a mother and forcing the son to eat the deed body, and they also killed the 2 week long mother giving birth and wounded the son. Behind all the conflicts among peoples in Ethiopia during this period, there always are the TPLF regime's security agents deliberately creating distrust and suspicion among peoples who have lived peacefully for many years as neighbours. The regime survives by creating armed conflicts among peoples in Ethiopia. Such heinous act is a crime against humanity.

6. Annex

Last, but not least, we call upon the international community and governments to exert all necessary pressures on the TPLF regime to desist from its inhuman and destructive policies of deliberately setting the people it purports to govern against each other. We also call on all concerned governments and international organizations to pay close attention to the crime against humanity the minority tyrannical TPLF regime is perpetrating in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa in general and take remedial actions before it is too late. We call European Union and USA government to stop all economic and material support for dictatorial regime.

Dr.Getachew Jigi Demekssa
MP of Ethiopia and Oromo Parliamentarians Council Chairman
May 28, 2008