Dirree Hincinnii, West Shaggar Zone – 2 June 2025
A respected Gadaa leader in Oromia has reportedly been detained by a militia affiliated with Ethiopia’s ruling Prosperity Party (PP), according to a statement released by Oromia National Media–Arrata Biyyoolessa Oromiyaa (ONM-ABO).
Abbaa Jifaar, a traditional figure known as an Ayyaanduraa in the indigenous Gadaa system, was taken into custody roughly a month ago in Buyyamaa Roggee village, Dirree Hincinnii District, West Shaggar Zone. He was seized from a Waaqeffannaa prayer site, an important cultural and religious space for the Oromo people, allegedly due to his son’s supposed affiliation with the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA).
The statement from ONM-ABO accuses PP aligned forces of unlawfully detaining the elder without due process or credible evidence, describing the arrest as an infringement on religious freedom and communal rights. Witnesses report that Abbaa Jifaar was held incommunicado for several days following his arrest before being transferred to the Dirree Hincinnii district police station. He remains in custody and is believed to be facing harsh treatment.
ONM-ABO denounced the detention as part of a broader campaign of intimidation aimed at silencing Oromo cultural and spiritual leadership. The group highlighted a worrying trend, pointing to the 2021 extrajudicial killings of Karrayyuu Gadaa leaders as an earlier example of state-backed violence against indigenous institutions.
As of publication, no response has been issued by federal or local officials. Human rights groups and Oromo community leaders are calling for the immediate release of Abbaa Jifaar and for international observers to investigate ongoing abuses in Oromia.
