A escalating campaign of systematic state violence, extortion, and forced conscription by Ethiopian government forces, referred to locally as the Bilxiginnaa regime, has left communities across the Oromia region in a state of severe crisis, local residents and witnesses report.
In the Iluu Abbaa Booraa Zone, property owners in the city of Mattu and surrounding districts have been targeted in widespread crackdowns. Local sources state that wealthy residents and prominent business figures are being rounded up without legal warrants under the pretext of supporting the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA/WBO).
“When they take people into custody, they openly shout at them, claiming our property is what keeps the OLA moving and that we are destroying the country,” one local resident said. Victims are reportedly detained, subjected to intimidation, and released only after paying extortionate sums, a tactic residents describe as an organized plunder scheme targeting civilians even in areas where active fighting is absent.
In West Hararghe, similar reports of mass roundups have emerged. In Shanan Dhuuggoo district, security forces forcefully abducted dozens of young people from villages such as Harcummaa, Gabbis, and the town of Waldayaa to be funneled into military training camps. Dozens of others have been subjected to severe beatings with their hands bound behind their backs before being thrown into detention facilities solely due to their Oromo identity.
Forced conscription is also reportedly expanding into neighbouring regions. In Asosa, within the Benishangul-Gumuz region, sources report that security forces have begun specifically profiling and rounding up Oromo youths from their workplaces and homes to supply manpower for frontline conflicts.
Reports of arbitrary arrests of civil servants have also surfaced in Horroo Guduruu Wallaggaa Zone. In Abaaboo Guduruu district, over 40 government workers have been held without charge for five months. The detentions stem from 2024, when the employees utilized mobile banking services to receive their salaries during an OLA presence in the region. The withholdings have plunged their families into severe economic distress.
Across these districts, local populations report that state authorities continue to bypass legal processes, utilizing arbitrary detentions, beatings, and extortion to maintain control over the region.
