55 Civilians Reportedly Killed in Horo Guduru Wollega

August 31, 2022

This time there seems to be a twist to the story of the massacre. Individuals are claiming that “Fano was involved in the Horo Guduru killing” 

Google Map shows Amuru

Borkena  

At least 55 civilians are reportedly killed in the Amuru district of the Horo Guduru zone in the Oromo region of Ethiopia.  The incident happened in the early morning of this past Tuesday.

It happened after the special forces from the region posted in the area were withdrawn, based on the DW Amharic report. 

The regional forces were removed from Amuru this past Sunday. 

It is said that gunmen with different names were in the town after the withdrawal of forces. It is unclear why the security forces were removed from the area. 

DW Amharic cited a resident of the town who identified himself as Nigussie Banja. He said what the government calls Shane (“Oromo Liberation Army”), took control of the town on Monday. They disarmed about 59 guns from the community and left the town on the same day, it was said. 

On Tuesday morning, said Nigussie, groups who call themselves Fano entered the town and “opened fire on residents whom the gunmen accused of collaborating with OLF. 

The resident went on to claim that 15,000 residents were displaced and as many as 55 bodies were buried.  There is also a claim that 87 residents are missing and that a search is underway in the jungles – a search for bodies as the resident put it. 

Bikila Alemu, another resident of Amuru, made similar claims about displacement from the town. “Those who were displaced from rural villages are leaving the town because of FANO gunmen” 

Nimona Deressa, who is described as a teacher, claimed to have seen twenty bodies and had registered the names of the deceased. 

As many as 40 are reportedly wounded but they are not getting treatment. 

DW Amharic said there was an attempt to reach out to the head of Amuru District, Fantahun Taye, to obtain an explanation about the incident.

The administration has not confirmed the alleged attacks by Fan.  Security authorities in the region were not available for remark, the report added. 

There has been a recurring massacre in the Wollega region of Ethiopia targeting civilians, mostly ethnic Amhara, for over four years now.  In all the cases, the perpetrators were, as confirmed by regional and federal authorities, “Shane” – a word that government officials employ to refer to radical ethnic Oromo Nationalists operating in the region. 

There was no verified report in the past that indicated Fano presence in the Wollega region of Ethiopia.  FANO, volunteer groups with recognition from the government, is supporting government operations against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) – a group that triggered war in Ethiopia for the third time in less than two years. 

FANO did not also have a record of opening fire on the unarmed civilian population. 

The story of FANO in Horo Guduru is suspicious, to say the least, as the TPLF has been attempting to bring about mayhem between the Amhara and Oromos. 

At this writing, Ethiopian government security forces have not remarked about the latest incident in Horo Guduru.