By Staff Writer
(Nairobi, Kenya) — The Coalition for Ethiopian Unity (Tibebir le’Ethiopia Andinet) has issued a blistering condemnation following the extrajudicial killing of three young men in Abeshige Woreda, Gurage Zone, located within the Central Ethiopia Regional State. In a statement dispatched to local media, the five-party opposition alliance characterized the executions as a human rights violation comparable to the Derg-era Red Terror.
According to the coalition’s report, the three victims—identified as Temesgen Getachew, Yitagesu Asegidew, and Gizaw Girmaye—were forcibly removed from a public minibus in Nacha Kulit Kebele on August 7, 2026. Security forces allegedly executed the men on the spot under the pretext that they were affiliated with Fano armed groups.
Citing eyewitness accounts and local community sources, the opposition coalition stated that deployed security personnel blocked families from retrieving the remains for three days, leaving the bodies exposed in open fields.
The alliance highlighted what it described as targeted, systemic violence against specific families and local figures in the area:
- Family Targeting: Yitagesu Asegidew’s brother was previously abducted from Hawassa and executed in a similar manner prior to the August 7 incident.
- Prior Executions: Approximately one month earlier, Gizachew Girma, a local entrepreneur and community organizer, was allegedly executed by security forces in nearby Darge Kebele within the same woreda.
To protest the extrajudicial killings, the coalition announced a global one-day social media campaign scheduled for August 18, 2026, under the banner “Stop the Extrajudicial Killings of Innocents.”
The Peace and Security Bureau of the Central Ethiopia Regional State has not specifically addressed the deaths of the three named individuals. However, during a press briefing in Hoseana, Bureau Chief Temesgen Kassa confirmed that state security forces had taken “decisive action” against armed elements operating inside Abeshige Woreda.
Temesgen characterized the targets as “unlawful bandits” engaged in robbery, extortion, and armed violence who refused government calls to lay down their arms. He added that joint security operations were conducted in coordination with the Federal Police and the neighboring Oromia Regional State government. Regional officials did not provide documentation regarding formal arrests, charges, or judicial review regarding the operation.
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