Sidama Crisis Monitor

April 2024

1.Persecution of the Sidama people by the prosperity party regime of Ethiopia

The current regime led by Abiy Ahmed persecuted the Sidama nation immediately after usurping political power in 2018. The regime committed atrocities in Sidama following the renewed demand for regional self determination by the Sidama nation in 2018 and 2019. Some of gruesome incidences of massacre are identified below:

a) Over 30 civilians were massacred in Hawassa, the capital of Sidama, and its environs in June 2018 following the preparation to launch the demand to establish the Sidama Regional State. This massacre was led by Mufriat Kamil, the current Minister in Abiy Ahmed’s cabinet and the then Chairperson of the now disbanded South Ethiopian Peoples Democratic Movement (SEPDM), a constituent part of the ruling EPRDF party and a police commander Fisseha Garedo from the Wolayita ethnic group who was the head SNNPRS police.

b) Mufriat Kamil and Fisseha Garedo in partnership with Abiy Ahmed’s federal security agents instigated conflicts between Sidama and Wolayita ethnic groups in Hawassa. While both sides were victims of the conflict instigated by the state, only Sidama civilians were detained and tortured. Over 120 Sidama civilians languish in prison until today for the 2018 Hawassa conflict between Sidama and Wolayita residents of Hawassa while no single Wolayita person was held accountable.

c) Mufriat Kamil and Fisseha Garedo together with the Ethiopian federal security agents planted explosives (grenades) in Shaamana rural town in Borricha district in Sidama in 2018 in which 16 people were killed and 119 were wounded, some seriously. No one was held accountable for the atrocities committed in Shaamana in Borricha district until today, 6 years on.

d) On 18-20 July 2019 Abiy Ahmed unleashed an overt massacre on the Sidama people following the Sidama peoples decision to declare regional statehood as the Federal Government and National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) refused to announce the date of the referendum on Sidama regional statehood. According to the eye witnesses, over 153 civilians were massacred in Hawassa and Yirgalem cities and Shabadino, Dalle, Alatta and Hula districts. The police confirmed the killing of 85 civilians as the government never takes full accountability for the atrocities it commits across the country. Over 400 civilians were wounded while over 700 were arrested and tortured by the federal defense and special police forces. Before the July 18-20, 2019 massacre, also remembered as the 11-11-11 massacre, Abiy Ahmed vowed in parliament and on media to crush the Sidama nation as he dealt with the Somali nation if they would not desist from their campaign to demand regional statehood.

The July 18-20, 2019 massacre was coordinated by state institutions. On the one hand, in order to divert the attention and disrupt the process the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) blamed the Sidama Administrative Council for not preparing a special law on the rights of the people of Hawassa City, an outrageous and illegal demand. The NEBE Board Chairperson Birtukan Midekisa also instructed the Sidama administrative council and SNNPR to reach an agreement on the division of property before the referendum was carried out. On the other hand, the security apparatus together with the leadership of SEPDM recruited prisoners in various Sidama districts to vandalize private businesses and disrupt law and order in various districts to use as an excuse to massacre civilians. Desta Ledamo, the current ruler of the Sidama State and his associates, Abraham Marshallo and Alemayehu Timotewos, were informants to Mufriat Kamil and coordinators of the pseudo rioters to justify the massacre of the Sidama civilians on 11-11-11 ( July 18, 2018). Desta Ledamo was detained from the streets in Hawassa where he was organizing pseudo rioters by the SNNPRS police who were unaware that he was their own agent. He was released the nest day.

e) Instigating Oromo-Sidama conflict: In addition, in the past 6 years, conspiracies by the ruling party and security apparatus led to more than 11 conflicts between Oromia and Sidama Regional States in which hundreds of civilians were killed blaming on OLA which was not substantiated by any evidence on the ground. The Abiy administration continues to wreak havoc on the Sidama nation and remain a major security risk to our society.

2. Accountability for the genocide in Sidama on 18-20 July 2019

The Ethiopian government and its structures were fully responsible for the massacre of the Sidama people in 2018–2019. The Election Board violated the Constitution by refusing to conduct a referendum within a prescribed 12-month period and sent a conflicting signal at the last minute. The Council of SNNPRS failed to organize the referendum although it had a direct constitutional obligation to do so. Despite writing several letters of warning to the Election Board to carry out the referendum, the Sidama administrative council was unable to provide a clear roadmap when the deadline for the declaration loomed on 18 July 2019. It refused to meet and discuss with the people at the Gudumaale on 17 July 2019 causing anger and resentment. The federal government failed to discharge its role to enforce its institutions to uphold the constitution by conducting the Sidama referendum within the stipulated period. Therefore, the Ethiopian government and its institutions were solely accountable for the tragic madsacres that took place in Sidama on 18-20 July 2019 and earlier in 2018

3. The 20 November 2019 referendum and formation of the Sidama Regional State

Through relentless peaceful struggle and support of the international community, the Ethiopian regime was forced to conduct a referendum on Sidama statehood on 20 November 2019. About 2.3 million Sidama people voted in the referendum on 20 November 2019 of which 98% voted for the establishment of the Sidama National Regional State while 2% voted to remain within the SNNPR.

However, despite such overwhelming support for regional statehood by Sidama men, women, youth and elders, Abiy Ahmed’s regime refused to officially acknowledge the result of the referendum for more than 7 months. However, the Sidama nation never despaired. The struggle continued. Due to relentless struggle by the Sidama nation and diplomatic pressure by the international community, Abiy Ahmed’s regime finally acknowledged the outcome of the referendum and Sidama was declared the 10th Regional State in Ethiopia on 20 June 2020.

4. Abiy Ahmed blocked the Sidama nation’s right to self-determination after the formation of the regional state

Although Abiy Ahmed was forced to acknowledge the result of the 20 November 2019 referendum to establish Sidama regional state, he blocked the right of the Sidama people to exercise self-rule. He centralized Sidama State political power under him and directly appointed the former personal intelligence agents of Mufriat Kamil, the former Chairperson of SEPDM, and the current minister in Abiy Ahmed’s cabinet, (1) Desta Ledamo, the most corrupt, and the most incompetent person as the ruler of Sidama Regional State, (2) Abrahim Marshallo, who barely completed Grade 12, as the Head of prosperity party in Sidama Regional State and (3) Alemayhu Timotewos literally a junior secondary school complete who was the lead intelligence agent of Mufriat Kamil as the head of Sidama Region Security Bureau

5. Movement to protect basic human and democratic rights and the right to self-determination in Sidama Regional State

The Sidama nation has never succumbed to oppressive measures of the Ethiopian empire since the nation was first annexed into Ethiopia in 1891. The Sidama people are resisting Abiy Ahmed’s heinous crimes in Sidama both through peaceful official political mechanisms and informally through peaceful political activism. Regarding the official political struggle, the Sidama National Liberation Front based in diaspora has spearheaded the struggle of the Sidama people for the past 50 years. In Sidama, the youth established the only opposition political party the Sidama Federalist Party in 2022 that since been campaigning against bad governance, corruption, and social justice despite internal leadership weaknesses and political interference by the ruling prosperity party. However, the members of this opposition party have been facing daunting tasks to operate freely in Sidama Region. They are facing constant harassment, imprisonment and torture in all districts. As we speak, in September 2023 a dozen leaders of the Sidama Federalist Party were in jail in various districts.

The young professionals have embarked on massive campaign against bad governance, corruption and social equity in Sidama since the establishment of the Sidama Regional State in June 2020. Some of these youth leaders are currently being hunted down by Abiy Ahmed’s corrupt and incompetent appointees such as Desta Ledamo, Abraham Marshallo and Alemayehu Timotewos. A dozen are already in jail while others have fled the region.

The Sidama nation will continue to resist the oppressive system installed by Abiy Ahmed and his partners in crime, as it has done in the past 130 years. We shall never despair.

6.Soldiarty of multinational federalist forces

The Sidama nation is an unwavering believer in the right of nations and nationalities to self-determination including secession where appropriate. The prosperity party is an anti-multinational federalism with a clear unwavering objective to dismantle the constitution of the country.

The prosperity party is the number one threat to multinational federalism and the constitution of the country. The Sidama nation calls up on all oppressed nations to create a viable platform to resist this oppressive regime and create a conducive environment for good governance, peace, poverty alleviation, justice, and economic development in the country. In general, the archaic unitarist system that ruled this country for overt 8 decades had caused immense suffering to the Sidama people and other nations and nationalities in the country including heinous crimes of serfdom in the south. The persecution of the Sidama nation continues unabated today. We are certain that the day will come when the perpetrators both at the federal level and within Sidama will be held accountable for the atrocities they committed on our nation.