Survivors Report Mass Displacement, Village Burnings, and Starvation Fatalities as Secondary Offensives Strike Kelem Wollega Zone
By Staff Writer
(Nairobi, Kenya) — Over 15,000 ethnic Amhara residents have been forcibly displaced, hundreds killed, and entire villages razed in East Wollega Zone, Oromia Region, following a wave of violent sweeps carried out by Oromia Special Forces, local Oromia militias, and Geda Commando units.
Driven from their properties, thousands of displaced civilians who fled the onslaught are now trapped in the dense “Ali” forest in Gida Ayana District. Survivors report that their homes were systematically looted and set ablaze, their farmland and crops destroyed, and their livestock slaughtered or seized by the deploying forces.
For the past 15 days, displaced families—comprising mostly mothers, young children, and elderly residents—have been sheltering under open skies in the forest without shelter, clean water, or medical supplies.
Access roads to the area remain strictly blockaded by security forces, while the neighboring village markets that once supplied basic food provisions have been burned to the ground. Trapped without emergency aid, families have been forced to survive by eating wild grass and seasonal leaves that sprouted during the rainy season.
The human cost of the blockade is escalating daily. Today alone, local sources confirmed the deaths of two children and one elderly person due to acute starvation and exposure. Eyewitnesses warn that up to 2,000 people risk perishing in the coming days if humanitarian corridors are not opened immediately to deliver food and medical relief.
As the famine crisis unfolds in Gida Ayana, a violent secondary offensive was launched against ethnic Amhara farming communities in Kelem Wollega Zone. Early this morning, armed regional units and allied militias entered “Village 17” in the Hawa Gelan District, opening heavy fire on civilian homes starting around 11:00 AM.
The sustained gunfire triggered hours of panic as residents fled into surrounding fields. Early reports indicate significant loss of life, widespread destruction of private property, and the burning of residential quarters. The area remains in a state of high tension and fear, with survivors cut off from emergency support.
Neither federal authorities nor the Oromia Regional Government have responded to requests for comment regarding the military operations, the destruction of civilian settlements, or the severe humanitarian emergency in the Ali forest.
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