To Shimelis Abdissa and Caffee Oromia: History Will Judge You for a Shameful Failure of Duty
Excerpt
A disturbing video circulating on social media—showing an elderly man brutally beaten during a militia interrogation—captures, in a single frame, the depth of Oromia’s moral collapse since 2018. What should have been unthinkable has become disturbingly routine: dignity discarded, elders humiliated, and violence normalized. This is no longer about isolated abuses—it is about a systemic erosion of values that once defined and anchored Oromo society. History will judge those who enabled, ignored, or presided over this collapse.
This Is What Oromia Has Become
There are moments in a nation’s life when silence becomes complicity. This is one of them.
A disturbing video is circulating on social media [1]—yet another piece of evidence in a growing archive of shame. It shows an elderly man, frail and defenseless, being brutally beaten in Arsii Shirkaa by Oromia militia. His crime? Responding to a question: “Have you seen OLF fighters in this area?”
Pause for a moment and ask: what answer could possibly satisfy such men?
If he says yes, he is accused of aiding insurgents.
If he says no, he is accused of hiding them.
If he hesitates, he is guilty by suspicion.
In such a system, truth is irrelevant. The outcome is predetermined: humiliation, violence, terror.
This has become routine across Oromia, where people are subjected to interrogations for which no answer can ever be deemed satisfactory. We have numerous credible reports of individuals being severely beaten—many left hospitalized with broken bones.
This is not law enforcement. This is not governance.
This is lawlessness masquerading as authority.
Preliminary, unverified reports indicate that the elderly man who was brutally beaten may have died later that same evening.
A Collapse of Oromo Cultural Values
What we are witnessing is not merely brutality—it is a profound moral collapse.
In Oromo culture, elders are sacred. They are the custodians of wisdom, the living archives of our identity, the pillars of societal dignity.
To raise a hand against an old woman or man is not just an act of violence—it is a violation of the very soul of Oromummaa.
And yet, here we are.
What kind of force beats an elder in broad daylight?
What kind of leadership allows this to happen?
What kind of silence permits it to continue?
This is utterly incompatible with who we are supposed to be.
A Pattern, Not an Exception
Let no one dismiss this as an isolated incident. It is not.
We have seen:
- Youths gunned down in public squares, in front of their own parents—acts designed not just to kill, but to terrorize.
- Bodies stripped of dignity, paraded on donkey backs as grotesque spectacles.
- Entire villages reduced to ashes, homes burned—sometimes with people still inside.
- Mothers and fathers dragged into detention, humiliated for the alleged actions of their children either sympathizing with or joining the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA).
This is not accidental. This is systematic.
A campaign of fear.
A strategy of collective punishment.
A descent into cruelty that no just society can tolerate.
We have already documented some instances of dereliction of duty by the president of Oromia and the People's Represntatives—Caffee Oromia, yet what was documented was only the tip of the iceberg [2,3,4,5,6,7].
Fear as Policy
One must ask: how afraid is Shimelis Abdissa of the OLA that such methods are not only tolerated but effectively endorsed?
Because make no mistake—when armed militia groups and regime affiliated cadres roam freely, brutalizing civilians house to house without consequence, it is not a failure of control. It is a reflection of policy.
Even in the most extreme circumstances, even if an individual is a member of OLA, there are limits. There is law. There is due process. There is basic human dignity.
Beating, torturing, and humiliating people—especially the elderly—is not security.
It is barbarity.
The Betrayal of a Mandate
Shimelis Abdissa, you did not take an oath to preside over fear.
Caffee Oromia, you were not elected to rubber-stamp silence.
You were entrusted to:
- Represent your people
- Protect their dignity
- Uphold justice
Where are you now?
Where is your voice when elders are beaten?
Where is your outrage when homes burn?
Where is your courage when your people cry out?
Leadership is not tested in comfort. It is revealed in moments like this.
And in this moment, the silence is deafening.
History Will Remember, And Yes, History Will Judge!
You may ignore this today. You may hope it fades. You may believe power shields you.
It does not.
History is patient—but it is unforgiving.
It records not only what was done, but who allowed it. Not only the crimes, but the silence that enabled them.
And when that judgment comes, it will not be kind.
You will be remembered not as leaders, but as those who stood by—or worse, presided over—the degradation of Oromo values, dignity, and humanity.
A Final Question
When will you stand up for your people?
Not in speeches. Not in slogans.
But in action. In courage. In truth.
When—because history will judge you?
References
- YouTube Video Clip Showing the Beating of an Elderly Man by Militia Men, 12 Mar 2026, YouTube.
- OT Editorial, An Open Letter to the Caffee Oromia: Fulfill Your Sacred Mandate, 15 May 2025, OROMIA TODAY.
- OT Editorial, Parliamentary Silence and Collective Cowardice: Shame on Ethiopia’s Parliament and Caffee Oromia for Enabling Atrocity, 2 July 2025, OROMIA TODAY.
- OT Editorial, Parliament’s Deafening Silence—Again: An Update, 3 July 2025, OROMIA TODAY.
- OT Editorial, To Shimelis Abdissa and Caffee Oromia: Your Silence on Moyale Is Betrayal, 8 August 2025, OROMIA TODAY.
- OT Editorial, The Oromia Administration: Silence, Not Governance, 28 January 2026, OROMIA TODAY.
- OT Editorial, The Noonnoo Massacre: A Shame That Stains Oromia and Ethiopia Alike, 20 October 2025, OROMIA TODAY.
