#Op_ed: Human Rights Under Siege: How security forces in #Oromia fuel terror, fear to control residents through lawlessness
In this op-ed, Terje Østebø, a professor at the Center for African Studies and the Department of Religion at the University of Florida, argues that the human rights situation in #Ethiopia is “not only significantly worse” than in previous years, but that the “reasons, motivations, and nature of human rights violations are new and quite unprecedented.” The op-ed states that security forces, local militias, and government-aligned institutions operate with impunity, engaging in extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, and financial extortion. The author highlights a pattern of abuses reported on social media, which he asserts “confirm findings from my own recent research on human rights violations in Oromia.” The piece contends that “control is, in other words, maintained through lawlessness, and security is preserved through insecurity.”
The op-ed examines the role of Koree Nageenyaa, a security committee that, according to a Reuters investigation, is responsible for extrajudicial killings in Oromia. The author asserts that the committee is not just a regional entity but is “replicated at zonal and district levels throughout Oromia, working in parallel to institutions like the Bulchiinsaa Nageenyaa.”
The piece states that these structures allow government forces to operate beyond public scrutiny, with security officials arbitrarily labeling individuals as supporters of the Oromo Liberation Army (#OLA) as a means to extract money. According to the op-ed, enforced military conscriptions, including of underage boys, have become widespread, with families forced to pay ransoms ranging “from 100,000 to 500,000 birr” for the release of detained children.
The op-ed concludes that the Ethiopian government has failed to maintain institutional control, allowing security forces and local militias to act with autonomy. The author argues that “corruption is what is creating this; everyone is struggling to survive,” adding that local authorities have turned taxation and law enforcement into mechanisms of extortion.
addisstandard.com/?p=48188
In this op-ed, Terje Østebø, a professor at the Center for African Studies and the Department of Religion at the University of Florida, argues that the human rights situation in #Ethiopia is “not only significantly worse” than in previous years, but that the “reasons, motivations, and nature of human rights violations are new and quite unprecedented.” The op-ed states that security forces, local militias, and government-aligned institutions operate with impunity, engaging in extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, and financial extortion. The author highlights a pattern of abuses reported on social media, which he asserts “confirm findings from my own recent research on human rights violations in Oromia.” The piece contends that “control is, in other words, maintained through lawlessness, and security is preserved through insecurity.”
The op-ed examines the role of Koree Nageenyaa, a security committee that, according to a Reuters investigation, is responsible for extrajudicial killings in Oromia. The author asserts that the committee is not just a regional entity but is “replicated at zonal and district levels throughout Oromia, working in parallel to institutions like the Bulchiinsaa Nageenyaa.”
The piece states that these structures allow government forces to operate beyond public scrutiny, with security officials arbitrarily labeling individuals as supporters of the Oromo Liberation Army (#OLA) as a means to extract money. According to the op-ed, enforced military conscriptions, including of underage boys, have become widespread, with families forced to pay ransoms ranging “from 100,000 to 500,000 birr” for the release of detained children.
The op-ed concludes that the Ethiopian government has failed to maintain institutional control, allowing security forces and local militias to act with autonomy. The author argues that “corruption is what is creating this; everyone is struggling to survive,” adding that local authorities have turned taxation and law enforcement into mechanisms of extortion.
addisstandard.com/?p=48188