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Transcript/ScriptETHIOPIA OROMIA AMHARA CONFLICT
HEADLINE: Analysts Say Violence in Ahmara and Oromia Regions Threaten to Become Second Front in Ethiopia’s War
TEASER: Analysts say the conflict in these regions is also a threat to national and regional stability
PUBLISHED: 9/8/2022 at 7:05p
BYLINE: Henry Wilkins
DATELINE: SHEWA ROBIT, ETHIOPIA
VIDEOGRAPHER: Henry Wilkins
VIDEO EDITOR:
PRODUCER:
SCRIPT EDITORS: Salem Solomon, wpm
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA, ZOOM
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV X RADIO__
TRT: 3:52
VID APPROVED BY: Jepsen
EDITOR NOTES: There will be an accompanying radio piece.))
((INTRO))
[[The ongoing conflict in Ethiopia between the federal government and the rebel group in the Oromia region, the Oromo Liberation Army, has received little attention as the civil war in the north with Tigrayan intensifies. A series of violent attacks this year have underscored growing ethnic tensions between ethnic Oromo and ethnic Amhara that threatens to become a second front in the country’s war. Henry Wilkins reports from Shewa Robit, Ethiopia]]
((NARRATOR))
Senbete, a town within the Oromia Special Zone of the Amhara region, is still reeling. In June, the villages surrounding it saw three days of fighting between Amhara militias or the Fano, and Oromo militias, associated with the Oromo Liberation Army, or the OLA.
When VOA visited in August, local officials, security forces and community leaders were meeting at the local government office to discuss how to stop any further violence.
((Wasihun Birhanu, North Shewa Zone Peace and Security Head (in Amharic))
“Recurrent conflict happens here because of extremist philosophies spreading. There are forces at work that don’t want peace here. The conflict in the area is not new, however. It has been happening for a long time, but the community solved it without outside intervention in the past.”
((NARRATOR))
Thirty-six kilometers south of Senbete, the town of Shewa Robit has also been experiencing increased violence between ethnic Oromos and ethnic Amharas in recent months. Local officials and residents told VOA the violence is escalating here too. They say it is due to increased OLA propaganda and recruitment.
The OLA, which the government has designated as a terrorist group, are militant ethnic Oromos that splintered away in 2018 from the Oromo Liberation Front, a political organization. The OLA says it seeks more prominence for the region within Ethiopia’s federal system.
((Shemeles Ali, local resident (in Amharic)))
“This time, conflict is totally different than the previous conflict. If one person on the ethnic Oromo side was killed in a dispute, one person from the ethnic Amhara side was killed in retaliation and that was the end of it. This time it is different, because the OLA has become involved. For the first time, heavy weapons are being used in conflicts too.”
((NARRATOR))
Hundreds of ethnic Oromos and ethnic Amharas have been killed in massacres by the Oromo and Amhara militias since the beginning of the year, authorities and activists say. But rights groups say all sides in the conflict are responsible for human rights abuses.
The OLA, for its part, blames the violence on ethnic Amhara militias and the federal government. A recent OLA statement said the central government is facing “insurmountable pressure from all corners” and is now “brewing discord to turn communities against each other and create more conflict.” The government blames the OLA for the ongoing conflict
Analysts say the escalating conflict is another threat to the stability of the country and the region.
David del Conte is an independent consultant and an expert on Ethiopia. He says the conflict in the region has the potential to threaten the country.
((David del Conte, independent consultant (in English))((mandatory courtesy: Zoom))
“The longer the conflict continues in Oromia region, the more chances you have to further destabilize the federal government and antagonize relationships between neighboring regional states and that’s bad for Ethiopia. That’s bad for the region and most foremost, it’s really bad for the civilian population.”
((NARRATOR))
Del Conte said the federal government’s response to the conflict in Tigray threatens peace in the Oromia region. The response in Tigray includes a blockade that has stopped humanitarian aid, banking and telecommunications.
((David del Conte, independent consultant (in English)) ((mandatory courtesy: Zoom))
“The Oromo population is watching Tigray very closely, how the federal government and other regional states are comporting themselves in Tigray. This will directly affect the relationship that Oromia has with the federal government.”
((NARRATOR))
Meanwhile, the violence in Shewa Robit has claimed its latest victim, the town’s mayor.
On September 1st, the mayor was killed by gunmen as he got out of his car and enter his home, the city’s communication bureau told local news. It is unclear who carried out the assassination.
((Henry Wilkins, for VOA News, Shewa Robit, Ethiopia))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)SHEWA ROBIT, ETHIOPIA
Embargo DateSeptember 8, 2022 19:07 EDT
Byline((Henry Wilkins, for VOA News, Shewa Robit, Ethiopia))
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
