Mager News Update: Monday, July 18, 2022
Today’s news updates are as follows:
- A government investigation team is erasing evidence of ethnic cleansing against Amharas in West Wollega;
- Many journalists have been freed;
- Misraq Amhara Fano have issued a call to health professionals &
- Sudan has opened the road previously closed on the Metemma side of the border with Ethiopia.
A taskforce sent by the government is destroying evidence of the ethnic-based massacres of Amhara (Amhara genocide) in Wollega
Following the June 18, 2022 (Sene 11, 2014 EC) state-sanctioned massacre of Amhara civilians in Gimbi Woreda (West Wollega Zone, Oromia Region) by the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) and local Qerro structure, A group claiming to be a taskforce sent by the federal government are apparently misrepresenting what took place in their approach according to Mager Media’s sources.
The sources which relayed the matter to Mager Media said the men claiming to be sent by the federal government were Oromiffa speaking and were being protected by Oromo Special Forces(OSF) are reporting that the ethnic-based massacre of Amharas was perpetrated by ethnic Tigrayans.
The sources who are proficient in Oromiffa said the group claimed to be investigators who interviewed survivors and injured victims at health centers and despite the victims clearly describing the perpetrators, the investigators claimed the perpetrators were Tigrayans.
The sources said they clearly described the perpetrators as eyewitnesses multiple times, specifically that the massacres were perpetrated by OLA and Qerro, as well as by men wearing OSF uniforms and so blaming the TPLF is inappropriate.
Over the past four years, targeted attacks against Amharas in West Wollega Zone have occurred unabated. In the past month, on June 18, 2022 (Sene 11, 2014 EC) in Gimbi Woreda and on July 4, 2022 (Sene 27, 2014 EC) in Qelem Wollega Zone, state-sanctioned Amhara massacres were perpetrated killing over 2,000 Amharas.
Journalists of Ashara and Nisir Medias have been freed
Over the past two months journalists of Ashara and Nisir Medias who were detained by the government were released from prison today.
The journalists were abducted in Bahir Dar city and were taken to Nefas Mewcha Prison without being brought to court and when the Amhara Region Court granted them bail, they were abducted for a second time at the entrance of the prison by federal police forces and taken to Addis Ababa for continued detainment.
Misraq Amhara Fano has issued a call to health professionals
Misraq Amhara Fano has issued a call for health professionals wanting to join its ranks to join.
The Misraq Amhara Fano says it has a division during the struggle for survival traversing from Borena Mekane Selam to Raya Kobo Jarota and Addis Qegn with its army and has provided medical care to over 15,000 people but says at this time its capacity has been reduced so it is in need of willing and able medical professionals.
Sudan has opened the road on the Metemma side of the Ethio-Sudan border
Following tensions between Ethiopia and Sudan, the road which was closed for one month between Gallabat and Metemma has been opened.
It was said this followed a decision by Sudanese security and defense forces led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
In the border area, following the death of 6 Sudanese soldiers, and rising tensions between the two countries, the Gallabat road was closed. Ethiopia’s foreign affairs minister reported Sudanese soldiers violating the border to enter and committing crimes.
On another side, in the past week Sudanese forces attacked the Gelal Wuha area of Metemma.
In the recent IGAD meeting in Nairobi, Prime Minister Abiy met with General al-Burhan.
