Ethiopia: Ten People Abducted in East Wollega Zone of Oromia – Residents Identify Alleged Perpetrators As ‘Fano Militia’

Addis Abeba– At least ten people were allegedly abducted by armed men identified by residents as members of the “Fano” militia in Gida Ayana district, East Wollega Zone of Oromia Region, during the early hours of Sunday, 4 May 2025, according to multiple eyewitness accounts provided to Addis Standard.

The incident occurred around 8:30 a.m. in an area known as Dicho, where a public transport vehicle traveling from Gida Ayana to Addis Abeba was stopped by the armed group. A resident of the district who was aboard the vehicle and requested anonymity for safety reasons said the assailants “emerged from the forest with weapons and threatened the driver,” who stopped the vehicle immediately.

According to this witness, the armed men then boarded the vehicle and “separated the passengers by gender” before taking “10 individuals they believed to be wealthy, including elders, into the forest.”

He told Addis Standard that among those abducted were two elders estimated to be over 45 years of age, who were later released and reunited with their families after one day. “The remaining eight individuals are still missing,” he said, adding that their families have been in contact with them by phone, but “no information is available about their condition or exact whereabouts.”

Describing the armed group, the witness said, “I saw four men with my own eyes. They were carrying automatic rifles, Kalashnikovs, and what appeared to be light machine guns. They stood in front of the vehicle after emerging from the nearby forest.”

A second resident of Gida Ayana also confirmed the incident and told Addis Standard that the vehicle involved was a public transport minibus commonly referred to as a “TATA” bus. This resident said all the abducted passengers were male and were subjected to violence during the abduction. “After stopping the vehicle, they forced all the male passengers to line up on one side. Then, they took more than ten of them into the forest while beating and verbally abusing them,” he said.

He further explained that the group taken included elders, youth, and merchants. “The next day, the elders who were advanced in age were released, but the condition and whereabouts of the others remain unknown.”

The resident told Addis Standard that the community is facing “very severe” fear and harassment and expressed frustration over what he described as a lack of government response. “Due to the lack of attention to this problem, we continue to be repeatedly victimized,” he said.

Amid the militarized conflict in western Oromia between government forces and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), the activities of armed groups identified by residents as “Fano” have exacerbated the security situation, contributing to repeated incidents of violence and civilian harm.