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BY BILEH JELAN @BILEHJELAN
Addis Ababa March 22, 2021 – Reports of an ongoing conflict between Amhara residents backed by the Amhara Special Forces (Liyu Hail), a claim by Oromo witnesses and Oromo residents of both the Oromia Special Zone and the North Shewa Zone in the regional state of Amhara flooded social media over the weekend. The number of victims and injuries has not yet been specified, but graphic images allegedly of the clashes have been circulating on social media. The conflict was first reported on Friday night, March 19, 2021, and according to sources on the ground who spoke to Addis Standard, it is still ongoing. The violence led to the burning of a religious institution as reports suggest, something that Addis Standard was able to confirm through the head of the North Shewa area peace and security office, Abera Mekonnen, who said: “A mosque and a church were burned in Ataye as a result of violence, I cannot give more details as investigations on the subject are ongoing ”.
“A mosque and a church have been burned in Ataye as a result of the violence, I cannot give more details as investigations into the matter are ongoing.”
Abera Mekonnen, Director of the North Shewa Area Peace and Security Office
On March 21, the Amhara Regional State issued a statement through the Facebook page of its communications office where it acknowledged the occurrence of violence without specifying the number of deaths and injuries and blamed the violence on the Oromo Liberation Army. (often referred to by the government as OLF / Shene) and ‘TPLF remnants. The statement said: “The regional government will launch an investigation into the violence, obtain information on the human cost and property damage, and make the information available to the public.” The statement also offered condolences and promised to bring the perpetrators to justice, “We would like to inform the regional government that it is deeply saddened by the loss of life and property caused by the fighting in Jile Tumuga and the North Shewa Area of the regional state. and bring to justice the perpetrators of this heinous crime and all their accomplices. Our people must support the government to prevent attacks by the TPLF and the rest of the TPLF in the area where these attacks occurred and in other parts of the region.
Sisay Damte, head of the regional state peace and security office, corroborated the statement of the Amhara regional state and explained that the violence erupted after the shooting of an individual. He did not specify the nature of the attacks, but went on to say that the attack is carried out by unspecified armed groups. He said that more militias, special forces and federal police were deployed to the area beginning Saturday, March 20, 2021. The peace and security office urged the community to remain patient and vigilant and promised to release an update on who is behind the conflict and the amount of damage.
However, Hassan Hadiya, a Kemise resident who spoke to Addis Standard, tells a different story. According to Hassan, the violence started after the Amhara special police shot an individual in front of the great mosque in Ataye after night prayers (Isha). He said: “The conflict started four days ago, started on Friday night and is still continuing, especially in the city of Kemise. It started in Ataye as a result of the Amhara Special Forces shooting at an individual at the gates of the great mosque there. “When asked about the number of victims and wounded, he said:” The conflict is ongoing and there are many victims , I cannot give you an exact figure, but it is high. There is serious damage to properties, a whole set of houses caught fire, there is damage to farms and vehicles. ”He explained that the clashes between Oromo residents and the Amhara Special Forces They are not new and have been a recurring sight for the past two years. He added: “The Oromos have always suffered in this region. They attack us simply because we are Oromo.” He concludes: “We heard that there are similar attacks in North Shewa, what I heard is that two wounded were taken out of the ambulance and shot at point blank range, I have no way of confirming that, but that is what is catching up with us here in Kemise. . ”
“… .When the violent mob backed by Liyu Hail arrived in Kemise, the community rejected this aggression and cornered the aggressors in a camp belonging to Amhara Liyu Hail in an area called ‘Galma Abba Gada’ awaiting the arrival of federal forces. and now federal forces are surrounding the camp, preventing Liyu Hail from attacking the community. “
Ali usman
Ahmed, who wanted to use his first name for security reasons, said: “The situation is spiraling out of control. The Amhara Liyu police are attacking civilians and conducting a burning campaign, especially in Kemise. People are leaving the city for rural areas and it is only getting worse, not better. Ahmed explained to Addis Standard that when the federal forces arrived, the Amhara Liyu police confronted them. When asked about the immediate reaction of the Oromo community residing in Kemise, Ahmed said: “We had no choice but to defend ourselves against this transgression, but let’s make something clear when I say defend ourselves, the community is lightly armed and its defense mechanisms. they are road closures and community policing. “He continued:” I know what the other party is saying, but it is a government force that targets unarmed civilians and no matter how they try to hide this truth behind any propaganda, the fact is that Amhara Liyu police shot the attached imam of the Ataye Grand Mosque “and that ignited what you see now.” Ali Usman, a Kemisie resident told Addis Standard: “We were defending ourselves, the situation is very serious for us here. We had to defend ourselves against a regional government that wanted to harm us ”. He explains: “There were these feelings that suggested they wanted to do in Wollo what they did in Raya and other places. It was premeditated, they killed that imam in Ataye and harmed the elders ”. He continues: “It is the youth of the Amhara community backed by the Liyu Hail. When the violent mob backed by Liyu Hail arrived in Kemise, the community rejected this aggression and cornered the aggressors in a camp belonging to Amhara Liyu Hail in an area called ‘Galma Abba Gada’ awaiting the arrival of federal forces and now them. federal. forces are surrounding the camp, preventing Liyu Hail from attacking the community. “
“The federal police commission is a neutral police force, it is helping both societies in an impartial way to reduce tensions and it is doing it to resolve the conflict peacefully and reduce the loss of life and property.
Jeylan Abdi, spokesperson for the Federal Police Commission
Ahmed and Ali’s accounts of the federal intervention are corroborated by comments from Federal Police Commission spokesperson Jeylan Abdi, who told Addis Standard: “Claims that the Federal Police are involved in clashes with the Special Forces of Amhara are not true. ” He added: “The federal police commission is a neutral police force, it is helping both societies in an impartial manner to reduce tensions and it is doing so to resolve the conflict peacefully and reduce the loss of life and property.”
For his part, Ahmed Hassan, administrator of the Oromia Special Zone spoke with Oromia Broadcasting Network (OBN) and corroborated Hassan’s story about the reason behind the start of the conflict, he said: “An Oromo was killed as he was leaving the mosque in Ataye and his death ignited violence. “He did not mention who was behind the attack on the individual, but added:” We tried to resolve the matter by talking to the elders of the community to advise them calmly and patiently, but that was not successful and the conflict ended. intensified. “He explained that the federal police are making efforts to restore calm.
The recent clashes take place in the context of similar incidents and show patterns of a long-standing conflict that claimed lives and property and, like previous episodes of violence, presented opposing narratives. The last time local Ataye authorities blamed armed militiamen “affiliated with the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF)” for the violence, Kemise authorities blamed regional state special forces as the initial cause of the violence, this time around eyewitness testimonies they blame regional special forces while the regional government accuses both OLF-Shene and TPLF of being behind the violence.
The attacks also follow sporadic episodes of ethnic and religious violence that have raged in the regional state of Amhara since November 2019, also as border conflicts between Ethiopia and Sudan intensify as the Ethiopian government accuses Sudan of demolishing Ethiopian administrative institutions. , taking over military camps, killing and displacing residents, and destroying their crops and properties.
Addis Standard contacted the Amhara Communication Office for comment on the involvement of the Amhara Special Forces, and the office in turn referred Addis Standard to its Facebook page. WHAT
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