By Ambassador Media | April 27, 2025
Adama, Oromia (Ethiopia) —
Starting last week, a wave of mass arrests has swept through Adama city, Oromia region, targeting young people across the city without any formal charges. According to multiple eyewitnesses, government security forces detained hundreds of youths — including shoeshiners, “seven eleven” workers, and other day laborers — and transferred them to a makeshift camp known as Wenji Mazoriya (ወንጂ ማዞሪያ).
Eyewitnesses described chaotic scenes across neighborhoods where plain-clothed and uniformed forces rounded up young men and boys from the streets, marketplaces, and small businesses.
“They didn’t even ask questions,” said one witness, speaking on condition of anonymity. “They just picked anyone who looked young.”
Eyewitnesses confirmed that after being taken to Wenji Mazoriya camp, the detainees are facing coercive conditions. Families claim that their sons are being pressured — or outright forced — to enlist in the military.
In addition, reports have emerged that those who have relatives able to pay 70,000 Ethiopian birr are being released, raising serious concerns about corruption and the targeting of vulnerable youth for financial gain.
“We have no information where our brothers and sons are being taken,” a mother told, breaking down in tears. “No court, no lawyer, nothing — just gone.”
Sources close to the detainees said that many of those arrested had no previous political involvement or criminal records. Instead, they were simply low-income youth struggling to make ends meet in an increasingly tense environment.
Human rights groups and local activists are sounding alarms over the situation, warning that these actions could amount to unlawful detention and forced conscription, both prohibited under Ethiopian and international law.
Despite growing concerns, official statements from the regional government and federal authorities have been sparse. Calls for independent investigations and immediate release of unlawfully detained individuals are mounting.
Ambassador Media will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as more information becomes available.
