The dreams and businesses of many went up in smoke in some towns of the Oromia Regional State in the disturbances that started on October 21, 2019. A number of towns including Dodola, Bale Robe, Adama, Bishoftu and several on the outskirts of Addis Abeba experienced the wave of mob attacks that swept through the region. There were reports of businesses set on fire, properties damaged, people beaten and many killed.

The victims were attacked either in the streets or in their homes, most clubbed or stoned to death. The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission in a statement issued on Wednesday called for legal action to be taken against the perpetrators. The Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia (AHRE) expressed a similar sentiment describing it as “the looming threat of civil war in Ethiopia.”

Nigussu Tilahun, head of the Press Secretariat at the Office of the Prime Minister, claimed the government had brought the situation under control. Nigussu said at a press conference held on October 31, 2019, over 400 suspects have been apprehended so far on suspicion of involvement in the atrocities. Admitting the failure of the intelligence services to prevent the attacks beforehand, he said the government is working hard to get to the root of the problem.

Prime Minster Abiy Ahmed (PhD) along side Lemma Megersa, minister of Defence, and Shimelis Abdisa, vice president of Oromia Regional State, visited the affected areas last week.