Oromos were tortured more often than Somalis, whereas Oromo men and Somali women were the ethnic/gender groups most often tortured. A number of possible explanations can be posited. The very high rates in the Oromo community may reflect long-standing interethnic conflicts. Somali women were more often tortured than Somali men. Anecdotally, Somali men were either killed in their home country or able to escape unharmed, whereas women and children had a more difficult time leaving the country.

In 2000, EPRDF set fire haphazardly to all Oromia forests, including Bale forest which was recognized by UNESCO for its endemic fauna and flora. The Oromo students from elementary and high schools, and universities protested this atrocity referred to by conservationist as ‘ecological genocide’. The response to the student protest, as Human Rights Watch reported, was bloodshed. Similarly in 2001, police killed more than 30 people and wounded an estimated 400 more in putting down a student demonstration at the Addis Ababa University . In 2002, police opened machine-gun fire on protesters in Awassa, killing an estimated 38 people. Many students were kept in prison for months without ever being brought to court, a clear violation of human rights and the constitution of the regime itself in a manner …