Addis Abeba – Three civilians including Kuli Hawas, a mother of seven, have been tragically killed allegedly by members of the national defense forces in Garri Nura Dhera village in Bosat district of East Shoa zone, Oromia region, residents told Addis Standard. The other two victims were identified as Gada Godana, and Boru Bekele.
One of Kuli’s seven children, (name concealed) told Addis Standard that their mother was arrested from her home on 25 October 2023 and found dead together with the two other victims on the morning of 29 October 2023.
“Members of the defense forces arrested her and took her to a military camp at a place called Sogido. When they arrested her, they told her that her son, who she feeds and his comrades, are causing harm to the defense forces,” they stated, adding that there has been active fighting between the OLA and government forces in the area prior to her arrest.
A resident of the village who requested not to be named fearing repercussions told Addis Standard that while the three were shot dead, another individual named Tufa Edao, 87, survived a gunshot and is currently receiving treatment in Wolanchiti town.
The resident added that following the arrest of Kuli and the other three individuals on 25 October, the entire residents of the Garri Nura Dhera village, 1,900 households (around 7 thousand people) were forced by members of the defense forces to evacuate the village.
“We were forced to leave. They told us we would be hit,” the resident said, adding that they are currently living in makeshift plastic homes near Sogido military camp and a place called Chancho, enduring difficulties including bad weather which their plastic homes cannot withstand.
He also added following the murder of Kuli and the two others, the security situation has worsened leading to the arrest of 25 civilian villagers who are currently detained at Bosat police station, being denied family visit and any form of outside contact.
Both the local administration and the Oromia regional government have said nothing about the situation in the district. But commenting on the killing of the three civilians, Mohammed Sufa, chief of the Bosat district police said, the police don’t know about the killing.
“We learned of their killing from social media. Unless it is uncovered by investigation, we don’t know who committed these killings,” he told the BBC.
The murder of the three civilians has sparked outrage on social media with many demanding justice. AS
