ONM-ABO 12 March, 2026
Prosperity Party-aligned federal forces have burned homes and destroyed the livelihoods of more than 50 farming households in the Dibaax district of West Shaggar, leaving families destitute and displaced, local sources have told Oromia National Media.
The attack took place on March 9 in Tuskii Gambeelaa village, located in the Matakkal Zone, when troops targeted subsistence farmers under the false pretext of suspected links to the OLA. Residents insist that those targeted had no political involvement or affiliation with any armed group.
Witnesses reported that soldiers systematically burned homes and all possessions belonging to dozens of individuals, including Fiqaaduu Guutaa, Tasgaraa Guutaa, Gammachuu Hordofee, Fayisaa Hordofee, and Abbabee Goobanaa. A full list of those affected, compiled by community members, names more than 50 people whose properties were destroyed in the operation.
In a separate incident in the Coqorsaa locality of Giiphoo village, forces destroyed grain stores belonging to a further group of farmers, including Kaffaalee Dheeressaa, Dheeressaa Kabbadaa, and Baqqalaa Gammadaa, along with at least 15 others.
The destruction of food reserves, which families rely on for survival through the coming months, amounts to a deliberate attack on the civilian population’s means of subsistence, community leaders said.
The victims, all smallholder farmers, have been left without shelter or provisions and are now dependent on immediate humanitarian assistance. No compensation or alternative accommodation has been provided by authorities.
These arson attacks and the destruction of property contravene multiple provisions of both domestic and international law, including Articles 15, 26, and 40 of the Ethiopian Constitution; Articles 7 and 17 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; Articles 5 and 17 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; and Articles 5, 6, and 14 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
ONM-ABO calls for an immediate halt to such operations, full restitution for all affected families, and accountability for those responsible. Independent investigations are urgently required to ensure compliance with the legal instruments to which Ethiopia is a signatory.
