 sexual violence crimes against woman. Read more){kind=link}
Oromo Liberation Army which is operation in the Oromia region of Ethiopia sees Amnesty International’s report as investigation failure
Borkena
Toronto – Amnesty International on Friday released a report accusing the militant ethnic Oromo nationalist group – which calls itself Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) – of sexual violence against woman.
“Members of Ethiopia’s Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) have subjected women and girls to sexual violence committing rape, gang rape, sexual slavery, summary killings and destruction of civilian property which may amount to war crimes, during the conflict which started in the Oromia region in 2019,” Amnesty International said in a press release on Friday.
The rights group called on the organization (OLA) to “issue an order” to its combatants “to respect international humanitarian law and international human rights law.”
As well Amnesty called on the organization to act on those fighters who were involved in committing sexual violence, forced displacement and other crimes under international law. Amnesty is calling for such elements to be disarmed and demobilized.
Furthermore, Amnesty called for relevant authorities to investigate sexual violence, summary killings and torture by OLA fighters.
OLA issued a statement on Friday in response to an Amnesty International report. It sees Amnesty’s report as “investigation failure.”
It said “The report suffers from methodological weakness, basic factual errors, and a singular focus dangerously oversimplifies a complex conflict. Most critically, it fails to grapple with the well-documented phenomenon of armed actors impersonating the Oromo Liberation Army—a reality independently confirmed by The Washington Post, Reuters, and Ethiopia’s own Human Rights Commission. When perpetrators cannot be reliably identified, accountability becomes impossible.”
The Oromo Liberation Army has been extensively operating in the Oromia region of Ethiopia after Abiy Ahmed took over as prime minister in April 2018.
The group has been linked to massacres to thousands of ethnic Amhara civilians in Oromia region, assassinations of Oromia region zone level officials and kidnappings.
__
Support Borkena : https://borkena.com/subscribe-borkena/
Join our Telegram Channel : t.me/borkena
Like borkena on Facebook
Borkena Ethiopian News Youtube Channel
To submit Press Release, send submission to info@borkena.com
Add your business to Ethiopian Business Listing / Ethiopian Business Directory
Join the conversation. Follow us on X (Formerly Twitter) @zborkena to get the latest Ethiopian News updates regularly.
This is what I’ve been saying for decades now. I even asked anyone to tell me a single armed group that took to the bushes to overthrow a sitting regime during the last 250 years and brought democracy, stability and the rule of law to their country. None known to me or modern history itself. The proof is in the pudding. Just look around in that Horn of and East Africa. They were/are all male dominated in their leadership. Rape and humiliation of women is their tool of spreading fear and panic. TPLF, ONLF and OLF had committed the same crime. It is also reported that this savage and gross violation of women has happened in the Amhara region. The only armed group that such crime was not reported against was the ALF(Afar). In this case Rastaman wannabe with the dreadlock hair do is said to have a particular taste for non-Oromo young girls in their very early teenage years w3hich qualifies as a crime of child molesting.
It would be interesting to know how the representatives of this front in USA respond to this verified accusation. I know what they would say. It will be outright denial just like their predecessors. They will blame the government, Filipinos or Shoshone groups from Wyoming. I hope you folks stop calling these thugs as Oromos.
When I get these so-called rebels on the hook for such repulsive crimes, I’m not ignoring or overlooking similar repugnant crimes committed against our sisters and daughters by the regime’s soldiers. I’m not surprised by that. In the atmosphere of anarchy in many places outside the capital, every side will have individuals that will dip their hands in the crime. Some of the latest story I hear are puzzling. We read stories where a court releases a prisoner and then the prisoners snatched away as he leaves the prison gate by the police. That is run-of-the-mill anarchy. It means the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing. So take such anarchy to rural areas and small towns with lack of peace and stability where nobody is watching then such gross violations would be inevitable. This week’s BBC World News Report has interviewed former female fighters of the TPLF and its findings did not come as a surprise to me. They all tell gross violations of women in the region during the war by all sides including their own commanders.
What did I tell you? I told you OLA will deny the allegations. Rastaman wannabe leader has just came out swinging at Amnesty International. This time he is not denying the crime but alleges the report contains “serious methodological flaws and factual errors,” and calling for an independent investigation into abuses committed in the region. He demands Amnesty International to name those who committed the crime. Just think about this demand. He wants names. He wants the victims to come out public and tell the names of those thugs they never knew by name who raped them. Folks, such are these so-called liberation fronts/armies from the 1960’s to present. He is just like his predecessors. When I asked one of the then OLF why their fighters massacred innocent poor farmers at Bedeno and other places and doing it in the name of my Oromos, his denial was outright. He blamed government forces. When I proved him wrong he reversed the gear and blamed the victims by accusing them of instigating the ‘brawl’. I am sure he will remember our argument.
I guess this is the norm for those who opted for the uncalled for violent form of struggle.
Oops, almost forgot to mention something from the denial response. The allegation by Amnesty International of rapes had taken place but it was instigated by the girls and women themselves. The ladies started the brawl and the fighters had to protect themselves. That was it. Hey, I’m just telling you what Rastaman wannabe and his reps here in the USA told me a few minutes ago. Don’t kill the messenger here.