Non Violent demonstrations condemning the ongoing killings of ethnic Amhara civilians !

Non violent demonstrations condemning the ongoing killings of ethnic Amhara civilians took place in Bahir Dar, Debre Markos, Debrebirhan, Dessie, and Kombolcha cities of the Amhara Regional State.

Demonstrators condemned the ongoing inhumane killings, and displacements of ethnic Amhara. Demonstrators in Bahir Dar and Debre Markos chanted slogans such as ‘Stop the killings of ethnic Amhara’, ‘The killing of children and the destruction of cities are never signs of bravery’, and ‘The government should care about our lives’.

Demonstrators in Dessie and Kombolcha towns, chanted ‘I air out my voice about the Amhara being killed’, ‘Let Amhara’s death end’, and ‘We will fight and die for the people of Amhara’.

Political and ethnic violence has become a major challenge for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, whose political reforms have also emboldened regional powerbrokers after nearly three decades of iron-fisted government.

Radical ethnic Oromo nationalists unleashed an organized attack for four days in a row in North Shoa and Kemissie regions — central Ethiopia.

Local authorities confirmed that the attackers wreaked havoc in the region and that colossal human and material damage resulted. Children and women are among the victims. An official number of people killed and wounded in the attack, and estimation of the property damage is yet to be provided.

Hundreds of thousands of people are reportedly displaced from several towns that came under attack in areas that are relatively calm. However, there are concerns that the attack could continue further north to target cities like Kombolcha and Dessie.

Fana Broadcasting Corporate (FBC) spoke to Tadesse Gerbretsadik, who is head of North Shoa administration, on Saturday. He said the attack has been extensive and intense.

Ataye town is entirely destroyed. A prison facility in the town was attacked and convicted criminals were set free.

Furthermore, Tadesse Gebretsadik said the zone level administration mobilized security forces (mostly militia) to respond to the attack, which was stretched to several towns in the region, but the attacking Oromo radical forces overpowered local forces.

Ethiopian Defense Forces and Federal Police forces were deployed to some parts of the region, but they were reportedly unable to resist the attackers who are said to be Oromo Liberation Front (OLF -Shane).

Mr. Tadesse described them as highly trained, organized and heavily armed. He remarked, “unless we are able to see who is training and deploying the forces that are unleashing the attack, the situation is grim.”

On Saturday there was intense fighting in Shewa Robit. Attacking forces were reportedly unable to control the town. There have been similar fighting in other towns like Kara kore, Epherata Gidim, among others.

For Mr. Tadesse, the entirely recurring attack is part of an agenda that is targeting to disintegrate the country.

The Federal government has not yet remarked about the alarming situation in central Ethiopia. For Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, it was business as usual.

He was rather making headlines with the inaugural ceremony of a new building that is said to be designated as the headquarters of the intelligence department.

Conversations on social media tend to link the Organized attack in the name of Oromo Liberation Front (OLF -Shane) as something that is rather orchestrated by anti-Ethiopia forces within the government structure.

The areas that came under renewed attack are within the Amahra regions of Ethiopia, and many see the attacks as part of an ongoing Amhara Genocide.

There have been a series of massacres in Oromo regions of Ethiopia targeting ethnic Amhara.

Amhara genocide does seem to be a reality than ever before but the reaction from the government is almost non-existent.