December 17, 2019
The Higher Educational Institutions are expected to produce knowledgeable, farsighted and multidimensional citizens. This could only be realized with, among others, smooth and peaceful teaching-learning process. The HRLHA strongly believes that stable and conducive academic environment is a basic prerequisite for higher educational institutions achieve their inherent purpose of enlightening citizens. Against this backdrop, we are witnessing horrible situations happening these days at some universities in Ethiopia. Especially, the situation of some universities in Amhara Regional State is heartbreaking and worrisome. More than five students were inhumanely having been killed until last week and dozens have sustained severe wounds. According the information HRLHA has gathered from its informants the atrocities were perpetrated merely on the basis of ethnic background against Oromo students.
The atrocities being committed against students is not limited to universities in Amhara Regional States alone. It has been expanded to universities across Oromia Regional State though with a minimal causality compared to the former. Two deaths each at Dembi Dollo University “The University’s president Leta Tesfaye (PhD) told EBC, a state broadcast, that one student was died on 13th of November 2019 as a result of a severe injury he sustained by an attack from other students. The student’s name was reported to be, Geteneh Bitew, from Amhara Region” and Wollega University, Shambo campus “The University’s president Hassan Yusuf (PhD) told VOA that one student of Shambo campus was found dead outside the campus. He added that the student was killed in the night between 8.00 and 9.00 o’clock (local time) about 3 km away from the campus and around an Orthodox Church named St. Michael. The student was named Eyayu Enanu Tilahun. He was a 2nd year Forestry student. Three other students were also alleged to have been injured and getting medical treatment.
“have been reported so far. The latter incident is said to have been occurred outside the campus. Dozens of injuries were also reported in these and other universities found in Oromia. Similar to universities in Amhara, the atrocities in universities found in Oromia are also ethnically-motivated since the victims are alleged to be Amharas. Be it in Amhara or Oromia Region, the killings of the students are believed to have been perpetrated by the students themselves though there is a suspicion that there has been an involvement of mobsters from outside the campus particularly in the case of atrocities at Woldia University.
The universities as well as the Regional State where such atrocities have been committed did not take adequate measure to ensure the safety of the rest students. As a result, especially, the Oromo students in the universities found in Amhara region are still facing a threatening situation. They are frequently requesting the government to let them back to their home and place them over universities found in Oromia region. Yet, the government is forcefully insisting them stay there without providing a lasting guarantee for their lives. Such response from the government has disappointed students and forced them abscond the campus and face another hardship along the way to their parents. The Oromo students who have managed to escape are also facing challenges in the capital city, Addis Ababa/Finfine. They are facing harassment and intimidation from government security forces. Even so, it is being reported that most Amhara students have been safely returning back to their home and getting fair treatment from the Amhara Regional State.
In short, the HRLHA believes that Ethiopia, the ruling Government of Ethiopia (at all levels) in particular, has failed to discharge its responsibility to protect citizens as enshrined under the FDRE Constitution of 1995 and international human rights treaties ratified by Ethiopia. The States’ obligation of Responsibility to Protect ( R2P) requires, among others, to take measures to protect right-holders against political, economic and social interferences. In this regard, the GoE’s non-compliance with its duty to protect can be expressed mainly in terms of its failure to protect the students against others from the very beginning. Besides, the government’s failure to provide remedies to the victim students or their parents; and failure to ensure effective and adequate guarantee for the security of the rest students remains a big problem.
Even though too late, the HRLHA commends the Federal Government’s decision to deploy the federal police to oversee the security task of the universities all over the country. Nevertheless, the brutality culture of the federal police and the phobic attitude of most students towards the federal police would be a challenge inevitably breeding violence. At this juncture, it should be underscored that the students in particular and the academic community in general need to be free of any physical and psychological pressure or harassment in order to fully concentrate on their studies and score academic excellence.
The details of students killed at universities in Amhara Region are described as follows:
| 1. Shambel Alemu Dhaba First year Social Science student at Woldia University, killed on 8th of November 2019. He was born in Oromia, East Arsi, around Assela town. |
*According to the death declaration certificate posted by the (please mention the name of university) —– university on its Facebook page, Adi Wako was natural or attributed to sickness. Whereas, friends and families of the student claim that Adi was died of an injury he sustained from an attack by Amhara students due to which he has been hospitalized since then. An independent investigation is not yet conducted confirming or disproving either of the allegations
| 2. Adi Wako* Third year student at Woldia University, died on 7th of December 2019. He was born in Oromia, Borana, Arero. |
| 3. Hassan Amin Mohammed First year Social Science student at Woldia University, killed on 8th of November 2019. He was born in Oromia, Bale. |
| 5. |
The HRLHA would like to kindly forward the following recommendations regarding the atrocities committed so far and with respect to how the government should go about with the implementation of the deployment of federal police at universities: –
- The HRLHA is committed to stand by the side of the government in providing human rights education for police members to be deployed and students with a view to bring about lasting peace and stability at higher educational institutions.
- The deployment of federal polices and other measures to be taken to ensure peace and stability of universities should not compromise an academic freedom of the universities as a whole.
- The federal police force to be deployed at the universities should be for a defined period of time.
- There has to be a code of conduct or directive which define and regulate the powers and duties of the federal police force at universities. Priority shall be given to creation and maintenance of smooth and peaceful academic atmosphere within the universities.
- The federal police station which might be built within the universities shall be out of the sight of students and the movement of armed police members in the compound in the day light shall also be limited.
- The government shall take a step to urgently stop the killings and brutalities being committed against students at universities and ensure accountability of perpetrators at all levels. The law enforcement measures to be taken by the government need to be made known to the public regularly.
- Last, the HRLHA kindly recommends the government, as a last resort, to let the students safely return back to their parents and pursue their studies in the universities found in their respective regions provided that the deployment the federal police and other measures to be taken would not adequately ensure safety of the students and bring about a lasting peace within the universities.
