The Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRC) announced that 111,811 houses have been demolished in the ongoing house demolition and forced eviction process in Addis Ababa and Sheger cities of the Oromia region.
Esmegu made this statement on May 23, 2015, when he released the investigation report he had conducted on the matter since June 2023.
The commission released this figure based on complaints received from residents of Addis Ababa and Sheger cities, as well as information provided by complainants through their representatives.
The report also indicated that in addition to residential buildings, religious institutions were also demolished in what authorities described as illegal demolitions.
According to the verbal information obtained from the Oromia Regional State Islamic Affairs High Council, more than 19 mosques have been demolished, Ismegu mentioned. The EHRC announced that this report covers a wide range of areas for its investigative work.
Among these are the Kolfe Keranyo Sub-City, Woreda 03, also known as Lencho Sefer, Mariam Sefer, and Phanuel Church Sefer, located in Addis Ababa City Administration and Sheger City Administration of Oromia Region.
In addition, Ankorcha Gabriel is commonly mentioned in Yeka Sub-City, Woreda 11 in Bole Sub-City, 44 Mazoriya for Getafe and Gedadi, Kela and Selassie for Gedadi Water Dam, and Boku Shenen in Adama City of Oromia Region.
Responding to allegations that these raids are targeted at ethnicity and religion, Ato Hailu stated that they are being carried out in accordance with the law and order and that they are only targeting illegal houses. EHRC, for his part, explained that the housing estate includes various types of houses, including houses with proof of ownership (such as an aerial map).
In addition, among those demolished are houses built on land purchased informally from farmers, houses that were occupied and constructed before the issuance of Proclamation No. 721/2004 (including those that were in talks with government agencies to be converted to formal ownership in accordance with the law and are pending).
The Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC), for its part, criticized the ongoing demolition of houses and religious institutions in Sheger town in a statement issued on May 2, 2023 , saying, “It is impossible to enforce the law following illegal practices.” He also condemned it as “an illegal act that is based on wrong policy, does not consider the current situation, does not include alternative solutions, is being carried out in a biased manner, and has exposed thousands of citizens to social and economic crisis.”
“Numerous mosques, churches, and Protestant denominations in Sheger city have been forcibly demolished by a demolition task force in a manner that violates religious rights and violates the dignity of believers,” he said.
It is worth noting that ISEMCO previously included in its report the lack of proper oversight of the eviction process, the lack of sufficient prior warning, and the discriminatory actions.
Esmegu stated that he tried to gather information by making in-person observations, talking to victims, and taking statements from victims to compile the report, and that he tried to obtain information from Addis Ababa City Administration, Oromia Regional State, and Sheger City Administration officials but was unsuccessful.
This report also includes human rights violations.
It was noted that among those who were demolished in the Kolfe Keranyo sub-city, most of them were eighteen years old when they bought the land, and most of the residents had built roads and bridges with donations, and had installed and paid for infrastructure such as electricity and water.
EHRC noted that he heard from the complainants that their homes were demolished without any warning and that they were subjected to various economic, social and psychological crises.
The complainants told the Esemgegu that more than 10,000 houses in Kolfe Keranyo Sub-City, District 3, have been demolished.
It is said that Oromia Special Forces and police members participated in the demolition of the houses, and that some of them were demolished with graders without giving the residents time to remove their belongings.
The rights organization noted that it has received information from complainants about beatings and arrests during the demolition of houses, and that they have not received a response to their complaints to the Oromia Regional State and Addis Ababa City Administration, and that they have been arrested for doing so.
Another issue included in this report is the issue of houses that are said to be built for a forest project planned to be implemented by the Prime Minister’s Office.
It was mentioned that for this project, houses in Yeka Sub-City, Woreda 10, formerly Ankorcha Gebreel, Woreda 05, Woreda 12, Kebele 2/21, currently in the Kuli area of Mikura Sub-City, Woreda 14, will be demolished and rebuilt. It is noted that they were promised by various government agencies that they would be removed in accordance with the law, but this has not been implemented.
He told the ISEMGU that due to this forest project, there have been illegal demolitions of houses in more than three districts, illegal arrests, theft of furniture and household items by various entities, and people have been arrested in connection with this.
The complainants in Legetafo, Legedadi, stated that they had been subjected to ethnic-based attacks. They were threatened with ethnic-based demolition of their homes, looting of their property, and not being able to move with their belongings. They were also threatened with not being able to rent a house in the area and that any house rented to them would be demolished. “We have fallen into trouble with our families,” they said.
They also told EHRC that some houses in the Bu Ertu Teklehaimanot neighborhood of Nifas Sil Lafto Sub-City, Woreda 01 were demolished at night and that youths armed with axes, machetes, hammers, and large shovels organized themselves into a destructive task force and began demolishing them, leaving the residents unable to evacuate their belongings and causing them to be destroyed.
Some of these are said to have had aerial maps.
The report also cited the complainants as saying that residents who asked why it was being demolished were beaten, subjected to “slanderous remarks, insults, and various forms of hate speech.” Among the houses demolished in Adama city, 14 houses were demolished in Tsedecha Arara Kebele 04/ since 1985 AD. Since then, 14 houses have been built for people who have entered the city from Eritrea and applied for residence permits.
The individuals have lived in these houses for over 28 years, and the city administration demolished them on May 10, 2014, claiming that they were illegal. The residents said that the Esemegum visited the site and confirmed the demolition of the houses.
The EHRC proposed alternative measures to include public consultation, provision of temporary shelters, provision of alternative housing, and the government’s commitment to ensuring that people are not left homeless and vulnerable to other human rights violations during house demolitions and forced evictions, in line with international law.
The opposition Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC), for its part, has called on the Sheger City Administration and the Oromia Regional State Government to immediately stop the demolition of private homes and religious institutions and re-examine the gaps in its legality and implementation.also called for the development and master plans of cities, including Sheger City, to be formulated in a manner that respects diversity and is equitable, taking into account the people’s human right to housing and the right to organize religious institutions.
