Ethiopia: 13 Arrested Over Killing of Oromo Opposition Figure

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Facts

• Police in Ethiopia announced on Thursday the arrest of 13 people in connection with the killing of Bate Urgessa, a political officer with the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), with some reports suggesting that two of his siblings are among the detainees.¹
• Bate, whose body was found on the roadside in his hometown Meki on Wednesday morning (local time), was reportedly abducted from a hotel room and gunned down the previous night.²
• An outspoken critic of the government, Bate was arrested multiple times in recent years, including in February alongside French journalist Antoine Galindo for allegedly conspiring to incite unrest.³
• The death of the prominent opposition figure prompted calls at home and abroad for a full investigation — including from the independent state-affiliated Ethiopian Human Rights Commission and the US Dept. of State.⁴
• This comes as a Reuters investigation published earlier this year claimed that a secretive committee of senior federal officials, known as Koree Nageenyaa, has ordered extrajudicial killings and illegal detentions in Oromia to end the insurgency.⁵
• The former guerrilla movement OLF laid down its weapons in 2018 after signing a peace deal with the federal government. However, its former armed wing, the Oromo Liberation Army, has continued the fighting.⁶

Sources: ¹allAfrica.com, ²Sahara Reporters, ³BBC News, ⁴Voice of America, ⁵Reuters and ⁶Associated Press.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Borkena Ethiopian News. In light of the Reuters findings about the government-run secret killing squad operating in Oromia, it's obvious that security forces are behind the murder of Bate Urgessa. Oromo political and cultural figures have long been subject to a systematic effort to silence dissent.
• Narrative B, as provided by Addis Standard. It's irresponsible and outrageous that some political entities have decided to exploit the shocking killing of Bate Urgessa to promote anti-government propaganda and try to compensate for political losses. Investigations are underway to bring perpetrators to justice.

Predictions