# Ethnic violence against Amaro Koore

This is part of the series of violence between minorities in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (SNNPR) and West Guji Zone of the Oromia regions, causing frequent attacks against ethnic Koore and other minorities in the Amaro special woreda and surroundings. Ethiopian Human Rights Council underscored the increasingly frequent nature and spread of conflicts and security issues in the area and called for preventative measures.

## Background and events of the conflict

This section lists the background on the frequent conflicts that occurred in disputed administrative lands shared between the SNNPR and Oromia regions, which is often referred to as West Guji.
| Period | Event and land administration | Description | Date |
| pre-1980s | Historical land occupation by the Guji and Koore people | Eviction of the Guji and Koore people by the State, annexation of their land to the Nechisar park in early 1980s | Historical |
| pre-1994 | Previous administration was under the Sidamo Province | Occasional interpersonal disputes were resolved with communal councils | Historical |
| During EPRDF | The start of Ethnic federalism | Administration of lands with ethnic lines. The Guji Oromo fell under the Oromia region, a portion of them inhabited areas of SNNPR. The Gedeo continued in SNNPR | 1994 |
| During EPRDF | Expansion and disputes between SNNPR | Expansion of the newly drawn Oromia regional state to the small zones in SNNPR that share borders | During EPRDF |
| During EPRDF | Referendums and conflict | Clashes, killings and displacement | 1995 to 1998 |
| During EPRDF | Amaro-Guji clashes | 13 people killed, houses burned down, over 400 IDPs | 29 July 2017 |
| During Prosperity Party | Political "superiority" of the Guji Oromo following the Oromo-led ruling in the country | Clashes, killings and displacement | 2018 onwards |
| During Prosperity Party | Economic and political upper-hand of the Guji Oromo against Amaro, Gedeao and others in the conflict areas | Frustration caused widespread conflict, killings and displacement | 2018 onwards |
| During Prosperity Party | The Gedeo-West Guji displacement | One million people displaced | April 2018 |
| During Prosperity Party | Attack in Amaro | OLF gunmen killed 2 farmers in Amaro | 29 January 2019 |
| During Prosperity Party | Temporary peace offer between the OLF and a Guji regional commander | Warring parties include the Amaro and Gadeo communities with the Guji Oromo that get assistance from the OLF. OLF often collaborates with the federal troops or the Oromo Special Force (OSF) | January 2021 |
| During Prosperity Party | Deadly attack on Amaro-Guji communal leaders | 6 people killed during communal leaders meeting in Gelana woreda | 18 March 2021 |
| During Prosperity Party | Instigation of violence by the Guji Oromo militias | Violence continued despite peace offering between OLF and a Guji regional commander | 2021 |
| During Prosperity Party | Aggression of the OLF-Shene | OLF-Shene claimed control of some territory in Guji | 2021 |
| During Prosperity Party | Armed group opened fire during a reconciliation meeting at Gelana, Amaro zone | 8 killed, 4 injured. OLF-Shene gunmen reported as suspect | 9 March 2021 |
| During Prosperity Party | Attack on Amaro | 2 farmers killed in the Kore Kebele, in the Amaro Zone by an armed group | 29 March 2021 |
| During Prosperity Party | Attack on Amaro | 1 farmer injured while he was asleep in the Gamule Kebele, in the Amaro Zone by an armed group | 30 March 2021 |
| During Prosperity Party | Attack on Amaro | 1 farmer killed in the Kejalo Kebele in Amaro Zone by armed group | 31 March 2021 |
| During Prosperity Party | Attack in the conflict areas | 11 people killed by militia group from Gelana and Suro Berguda Woreda of West Guji Zone | 5-30 March 2021 |
| During Prosperity Party | Clash between the Koore and other militias | 5 killed, 15 injured. Armed clashes between the Koore militas members and the ENDF government forces with Derashe ethnic militias in Holte kebele in Derashe special woreda, and Buniti, Abulo, and Alfacho kebeles in the Amaro zone | June 2022 |
| During Prosperity Party | OLF-Shene attacked Amaro | 3 Amaro farmers killed, 2 injured, and livestock stolen from 12 farmers | 6 July 2022 |