Ethiopia’s PM sees OLA rebellion grow in his own backyard

In the latest sign of the deep crisis that has engulfed Ethiopia, conflict in the vast Oromia region – the heartland of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed – is escalating as political and ethnic tensions explode.

It has seen Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) rebels raid towns that were once out of their reach, and hold “graduation ceremonies” to boast of new recruits, while the government has responded with troop reinforcements and drone strikes as it rules out talks to end the crisis.

Adding to the dangerous cocktail, much-feared militias from the rival Amhara ethnic group are widely believed to have crossed into Oromia to fight the rebels. The OLA are increasingly projecting themselves as the champions of Oromo nationalism, gaining publicity in opposition-linked media outlets that, just a few years ago, treated them as marginal players in Ethiopian politics.

The government-appointed Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (HRC) says that “hundreds” of people have been killed in a “gruesome manner” in the past five months in Oromia, while a UN agency says almost a million people have been forced from their homes.

All sides in the conflict deny accusations they have committed human rights abuses.

• BBC News