NaMA Alleges Systematic Abuses and Forced Demographic Changes in Central and Oromia Regions
By Staff Writer
(Nairobi, Kenya) — The National Movement of Amhara (NaMA) on Friday issued a statement accusing local administrative and security structures of facilitating systemic ethnic cleansing, forced demographic engineering, and arbitrary detentions targeting Amhara communities across Abeshige Woreda, Welkite town, and adjacent zones of the Oromia Region.
In a comprehensive political statement detailing identity-based abuses, NaMA alleges that recent military operations in Abeshige Woreda and surrounding areas represent a coordinated campaign to alter demographic compositions and forcibly shift administrative boundaries rather than routine law enforcement operations. Several Ethiopian media outlets reported over the past few days on an orchestrated attack on ethnic communities, particularly Amharas in the Abshenge district.
NaMA alleged that local administrative structures in West Shewa and Southwest Shewa zones have “systematically disarmed local Amhara communities, leaving them vulnerable to incursions by armed groups.” It also stated that land holdings belonging to displaced households were subsequently redistributed to local officials and allied investors, characterizing the measures as an effort to absorb Abeshige Woreda into the Oromia Region.
According to the statement, authorities arbitrarily detained over 1,000 Amhara residents, including local farmers, youth, and investors, without court orders in public halls in Welkite and holding centers in Walga town during the peak agricultural season. NaMA emphasized that state officials and media platforms have systematically mischaracterized peaceful residents as active insurgents to justify mass arrests, property confiscations, and transport blockades.
Highlighting constitutional protections regarding freedom of movement and property ownership, NaMA called upon federal authorities and the international community for:
- The unconditional release of all individuals detained without due process in Welkite and Walga, the immediate closure of political files, the reinstatement of displaced residents to their ancestral lands, and the return of seized legal defense weapons and property.
- The formal prosecution of government officials, security personnel, and armed groups implicated in civilian massacres across border kebeles, alongside the immediate deployment of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces and Federal Police to provide neutral protection in Abeshige Woreda.
- The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to deploy independent investigative teams to document human rights violations across the Central Ethiopia and Oromia regions.
NaMA also called on Amhara, Gurage, and Oromo communities to reinforce historical bonds of peaceful coexistence and actively counter divisive political narratives.
At the time of this writing, the federal government has not issued an official response regarding NaMA’s statement or the specific allegations of administrative involvement in regional border displacements.
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