(OLF-OLA Press Release)
On August 30th, 2022, Fano militants and Amhara state forces massacred at least 62 people in Agamsa town in Amuru woreda of Horo Guduru Wollega zone after being given the greenlight by the regime to occupy several towns in this area. The assailants have looted and destroyed nearly all of the banks, shops, and homes of the town. Eyewitnesses state that the looted property was hauled on to rickshaws, motorcycles, and vehicles emblazoned with the Amhara Regional Police insignia. Many of those killed were young children and seniors who were unable to escape this onslaught. This vile act is not a random act of violence but part of a pattern of the regime utilizing proxy forces to sow discord and instability as a means of achieving its political ends.
Fano militiamen and Amhara state forces have occupied several parts of East Walaga and Horo Guduru that exist along the border with Amhara. In Amuru district, 16 of its 21 kebeles have been under their occupation with the full approval of the regime. These forces are trained in the Birsheleko Military Training Camp found near Bure, a mere 50 KMs from the site of this massacre as part of an initiative overseen by Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen. They have committed several such atrocities over the last two years, including the Haro massacre in which at least 69 Oromo civilians were killed and 52,000 displaced. Alongside the regime’s federal military and Oromia state forces, they have engaged in a campaign of terror regularly killing and torturing residents. The total death toll of the Agamsa massacre is so far unknown as there are still bodies left unburied. The Agamsa massacre was made possible by the disarming of locals by the regime-backed militia commanded by Faqada Abdisa–a milia known for its impersonation of members of the OLA . A mere day before this massacre, Faqada’s militia was deployed into Agamsa where they began to disarm and beat the local residents. It is bewildering that Amhara state forces and the Fano militia, which both claim to be fighting for the rights of the Amhara people, would choose to coordinate with Faqada, whose forces are responsible for several attacks against Amhara communities in Oromia including the March 2021 Church massacre in the Jarte district of Horo Guduru. As some ENDF units were transferred north to Tigray, the regime deployed Faqada’s militia into several areas in the East Walaga districts of Kiramu, Limmu Galila, and Gida Ayana. At the time of this statement, our forces have driven the militia alongside Oromia security forces out of Limmu Galila
As the regime faces insurmountable pressure from all corners, it is brewing discord to turn communities against each other and create more conflict. There is an old Oromo adage that states “The donkey said ‘when I die, may the grass no longer grow’, likewise, the Abiy regime would rather have this country fall into mayhem if its dictatorship is not allowed to survive. We condemn the massacre of Oromo civilians in Agamsa and demand that Amhara forces immediately withdraw out of Oromia. Furthermore, we call for human rights organizations to immediately investigate these atrocities. We also ask for all our people to support the thousands of displaced survivors who are currently camped in Amuru town.
Victory to the Oromo and all oppressed peoples!
OLF-OLA High Command
September 2nd, 2022