Wollo Amhara Committee Condemns National Efforts as Failing Raya, Urges Federal Government to Reassess Approach
Wollo Amhara Committee Denounces National Efforts in Raya
August 16, 2024 – Addis Abeba – The Wollo Amhara Identity and Border Repatriation Committee has issued a scathing statement in response to a recent announcement by a newly formed national committee tasked with addressing the longstanding border disputes between the Amhara and Tigray regions. The committee, led by Chairman Ato Hailu Abera, criticized the national committee’s claims of success, arguing that the realities on the ground tell a very different story, particularly for the people of Raya.
Pre-1987 boundaries
Wollo, known as “Bête Amhara,” holds significant historical and cultural importance within Ethiopia’s Amhara region. Positioned in the northeastern part of the country, Wollo-Bête Amhara has been central to Ethiopia’s history, once recognized as the “center and heartland of the Abyssinian Empire” during the medieval era. Its strategic location made it a key player in the nation’s historical and political ndevelopments, serving as a cultural and political hub during the height of the Ethiopian Empire.
The national committee had earlier stated that efforts to resolve disputes in the contested areas were yielding promising results, highlighting the repatriation of displaced residents from Raya and Tselemt. The national defense forces were praised for their role in facilitating this process, which was described as a model for fostering unity and mutual understanding among Ethiopians.
However, the Wollo Amhara Identity and Border Repatriation Committee strongly refuted these claims, labeling them as misleading and out of touch with the actual situation in the region. According to Ato Hailu, the majority of kebeles in Raya Alamata remain under Tigrayan control, with 44 out of 56 kebeles occupied by Tigray forces.
He also accused the national committee of allowing Tigrayan internally displaced persons (IDPs) to return without proper investigation, while efforts to repatriate over 70,000 Amhara IDPs have been largely unsuccessful.
The Amhara Association of America (AAA) has learned that on the afternoon of August 9th, 2024, Oromo Prosperity Party regime soldiers extrajudicially killed two unarmed civilians and injured another in Segno-Gebeya Kebele of Kobo city (Raya Kobo Woreda, North Wollo Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia). According to AAA’s sources, a regime soldier was shot and killed by unknown gunmen inside a residential compound where two sisters resided at the time of the incident.
Following the incident, regime soldiers asked residents for identities of those who resided in the compound. After a woman told the soldier the compound was hers, the soldier immediately shot her, her sister, and another young man who was standing nearby. While her sister and the young man died instantly, she survived with injuries. The killed female victim was identified as popular TikTok influencer Elsa Berihun. The name of the killed young man is unknown but he was known for selling sugar cane for a living. All victims had no association with Fano nor was there any active fighting in the area at the time of the incident
Ato Hailu further highlighted the dire conditions in the region, noting that over 60,000 students are out of school due to a lack of funding, and thousands of farmers have been unable to cultivate their lands. He criticized the federal government’s neglect of the area, stating that no budget has been allocated to the region for the past four years, exacerbating the suffering of the local population.
The committee also expressed frustration over the abandonment of a previously agreed-upon referendum, which was supposed to resolve the issue but was rejected by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). The Wollo Amhara Identity and Border Repatriation Committee now believes that the Pretoria Agreement, which was meant to bring peace to the region, has been effectively nullified and is calling on the federal government to revisit the matter to ensure a fair and just resolution.
Meanwhile, intense fighting between Wollo Amhara Fano forces and Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) has been reported in Wollo Bête Amhara, further escalating the already volatile situation.
Efforts to obtain comments from Southern Tigray Administrator Ato Haftu Kiros were unsuccessful.
Editorial Note : This news story is sourced from
DW Amharic : https://p.dw.com/p/4jXJd
