Letter from OROMO community, Dadaab, Kenya to UNCHR

January 12, 2016

TO: Department Refugee Affairs (DRA)
CC: UNHCR
Refugee Consortium of Kenya (RCK)
KENYA Red Cross

January, 11, 2016

From: OROMO community
Dadaab

RE: Concern sharing information

We the Oromo community living ion Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya, writing this letter due to the tangible information we have that our community members who fled ongoing crackdown by Ethiopian government on peaceful of Oromo protests are often arresting and deporting to Ethiopia where they are facing threat of life and death by force at the border while they seeking asylum in Kenya. For instance 28 Oromo asylum seekers have been arrested in Marsabet County they supposed to be on court on 9/1/2016 at Meru magistrate court but failed. Again four (4) Oromo asylum seeker have been arrested in Wajir County on 9/1/2016 while they are seeking asylum. Their names are:-

1. Guyo Wariyo Bikole from Dila university
2. Rabirra Alamu from Dila University
3. Malicha Guyo
4. Doyo Guyo

Twelve (12) asylum seeker are arrested in Sololo police station, later taken to Moyale Kenya police station.

The Oromo are the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia. Whose population constitutes over 40% of total population of Ethiopia. The Oromo have been oppressed by consecutive Ethiopian regimes for over the last century.

The OROMOs are protesting against the addis Ababa integrated  development master plan that displacing over two million of farmers these will kick them of land that is rightfully and ancestrally theirs with next to no compensation and at present half a million Oromos  have already evicted  . The Ethiopian government promised to deployed full military force against Oromo protests ion Oromia region.  The 1stuprising started in April 2014 when the so called integrated development plan was revealed to the public, the University students, and staged protest rallies and in response the Ethiopian gov’t brutally killed over seventy (70) students, wounded hundreds.  The 2nd uprising started on nov.12/11/2015,the mass killing ,wounded ,kidnapping ,arresting ,raping torturing and disappearing of peaceful protestors and prominent of Oromo political leaders , journalist ,human right activist  , singer intellectuals, business people   and etc. According to human right watch report over 140 peoples  have been killed by Ethiopian security  forces since November including children, pregnant women and elderly.

We never forget the Kenyan gov’t hosting many numbers of Oromo refugees since long time due to political instability in our home land. We also appreciate the UNHCR and others humanitarian organization who are dedicated and providing us with the necessary needs and service in refugee camp and urban.

Therefore we are appealing to the respective office (authority ) to know this situation at Kenyan Ethiopian border to facilitate the way of helping needs  protection  and assistance to reach refugee camp.

Thanks