Massacre in East Wollega: Over 30 Civilians Killed in Fano Attack
Eyewitnesses Describe Brutal Assault on Andode Dicho Village
By Oromia News Agency
(ONA, Finfinne, 12 August 2026)-Reports coming from Gida Ayana District in the East Wollega Zone indicate that armed Fano forces have carried out a devastating attack, resulting in the deaths of more than 30 innocent civilians. Eyewitnesses have told Oromia News Agency that the assault, which took place in the village of Andode Dicho, was deliberately targeted at unarmed residents.
The Attack: Eyewitness Accounts
According to eyewitnesses who spoke with Oromia News Agency, the armed group launched a coordinated assault on multiple villages in the area. Witnesses described a scene of chaos and terror as fighters swept through the community, opening fire on civilians.
“We saw them coming and there was nothing we could do,” one eyewitness recounted. “They were shooting at anyone in sight—men, women, children. It was not a battle; it was a slaughter.”
The attack has left over 30 people dead and many others wounded. Survivors are struggling to come to terms with the scale of the violence.
A Pattern of Violence
This incident is part of a disturbing pattern of violence targeting civilian populations in the region. Local residents have expressed fear and frustration over the lack of security and the continued presence of armed groups.
“They attacked without warning,” another survivor said. “We are farmers, we are families—we have nothing to do with their politics. We just want to live in peace.”
Eyewitnesses also reported that the attackers looted property and burned homes before fleeing the area, adding to the suffering of the already traumatized community.
Victims Include Women and Children
The victims of the attack included men, women, and children. Families have been torn apart, and the community is in mourning. Emergency responders and local authorities are struggling to provide medical care and support to the wounded, many of whom are in critical condition.
Local officials have condemned the attack and called for an immediate investigation to bring those responsible to justice. However, eyewitnesses expressed doubt about the ability of authorities to protect them in the future.
Fano Group and the Conflict in Oromia
The Fano militia has been active in various parts of Ethiopia, particularly in the Amhara region, but has increasingly been involved in cross-regional violence. In Oromia, Fano forces have been accused of targeting civilians in areas with mixed populations, exacerbating ethnic tensions and causing widespread displacement.
Previous attacks in the region have led to mass displacement, economic devastation, and loss of life. The international community has raised concerns over the growing instability and the humanitarian crisis unfolding in parts of Oromia.
Eyewitness Testimonies
One survivor told Oromia News Agency:
“They came to Andode Dicho, shooting at everyone they saw. They didn’t care who it was—whether old or young, man or woman. My neighbor was killed in front of her children. We are afraid to go back to our homes. We don’t know if they will return.”
Another witness added:
“The government has failed to protect us. We are being killed and nothing is being done. We want the world to know what is happening here.”
Call for Investigation and Accountability
Human rights groups and local leaders are calling for an immediate and thorough investigation into the massacre. They demand that those responsible for the attack be held accountable and that measures be taken to ensure the safety of civilians in the region.
“We have buried our loved ones. We have cried enough,” one community elder said. “We need justice, but more than that, we need peace.”
Government Response
As of now, the Fano group has not issued any official statement regarding the incident. Meanwhile, local authorities have pledged to investigate the attack and bring perpetrators to justice. However, community members remain skeptical, citing previous incidents where perpetrators were not held accountable.
Humanitarian Concerns
The violence in East Wollega has left many families displaced and in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. Medical facilities are overwhelmed, and there are reports of shortages of essential supplies. The United Nations and other humanitarian organizations have expressed concern over the growing insecurity in the region and its impact on civilians.
Conclusion: A Call for Peace and Justice
The massacre in Andode Dicho is another tragic chapter in the ongoing conflict that continues to devastate communities across Oromia. As the death toll rises and families mourn, the international community, human rights organizations, and Ethiopian authorities must take urgent action to stop the violence and protect innocent civilians.
The people of Gida Ayana have suffered enough. They deserve peace, security, and justice.
This feature news is dedicated to the victims of the Andode Dicho attack and all civilians who have suffered in the ongoing conflict.
Siinqee Bank: From Financial Access to Economic Power
Transforming Scale into Tangible Community Impact
By Abdi Milkessa
(Finfinne-12 August 2026)-Building a strong economy is not a task for the government alone. Economic progress requires financial institutions that actively drive production, investment, and innovation. In the effort to empower the Oromo people economically, institutions that mobilize capital and involve the broader community play a central role. Siinqee Bank, in recent years, has taken significant steps to move this vision from theory to reality.
For a long time, Ethiopia’s financial system has been largely inaccessible to low-income earners, farmers, pastoralists, youth, and small-scale entrepreneurs. Breaking this barrier and bringing finance to the wider community is where Siinqee Bank has distinguished itself. To date, the Bank has disbursed over 127.1 Billion Birr in cumulative loans, reaching more than 855,000 people. Through its digital service “Wabii” alone, it has provided over 8.3 Billion Birr in loans, serving more than 1.6 million people. These numbers reflect not just the breadth of the Bank’s operations but a shift from financial exclusion to active participation in the economy.
When finance reaches farmers, it creates more than just loans—it builds productive capacity. When a young entrepreneur or a smallholder gains access to capital, their ideas can turn into enterprises, and their skills into production. Small enterprises, when supported, create jobs and generate income. Therefore, the role of Siinqee Bank should be measured not just by the number of customers or volume of loans, but by its success in turning financial access into productive capacity and improved livelihoods.
The Bank’s growth is also built on a solid financial foundation. In the past fiscal year alone, it recorded a pre-tax profit of 10.7 billion Birr. Customer deposits reached 178.1 billion Birr, total assets grew to 216.2 billion Birr, and total capital stood at 23.1 billion Birr. This evidence shows more than just institutional growth; it demonstrates the Bank is building the human and financial capacity to achieve its mission.
However, the ultimate success of Siinqee Bank is not measured solely by financial returns or asset growth. The real measure is how that financial growth translates into productive power, how productive power becomes investment, how investment creates jobs and income, and how that income leads to tangible improvements in community life. True success lies in breaking financial barriers, bringing low-income communities into the economic mainstream, helping farmers become investors, enabling youth and women to turn their ideas into businesses, and ultimately transforming finance into prosperity.
Therefore, the next step must focus not just on the Bank’s asset growth but on the quality of capital allocation. On one hand, the Bank’s capital should be systematically directed toward high-productivity sectors: from agriculture and agro-processing to industry, services, technology, and youth-led enterprises. On the other hand, there is a need to expand digital financial infrastructure, making services faster, more accessible, and more affordable. As Siinqee Bank continues to grow, its growth must increasingly serve as a catalyst for grassroots economic empowerment.
The Oromia Sovereign Fund and a Vision for the Future
In this regard, the reforms undertaken through the Oromia Sovereign Fund are a strategic step forward. By strengthening the capital capacity of public enterprises and creating interconnected financial institutions, the Fund is laying the groundwork for a more integrated and robust financial system. Under the Siinqee Group, the establishment of Siinqee Bank, Siinqee Leasing, Siinqee Insurance, and Siinqee Investment Bank—by combining capital mobilization, lending, investment, insurance, and leasing—creates a powerful opportunity to build a comprehensive and inclusive financial system.
The key question moving forward is: “How do we turn this structure into real economic power that reaches our communities?”
For the outstanding performance of the past fiscal year, the leadership, board, and staff of Siinqee Bank deserve recognition on behalf of the Oromo people. The Oromia Regional Government remains committed to providing the necessary support for Siinqee Bank to continue growing in line with its core mission and to fulfill its role in driving economic empowerment.
ኢትዮጵያን ከወጣቶቿ ነጥሎ ማየት አይቻልም!
ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትር ዐቢይ አህመድ ወጣቶችን የለውጥ ሞተር እና የሉዓላዊነት ማገር አድርገው ጠሩ
ጸሐፊ፦ አብዲ ሚልኬሳ
የኢትዮጵያ ህዝብ የእድሜ ስብጥር እንደሚያመላክተው፣ ወጣቶች ከፍተኛውን ቁጥር መያዛቸው ሀገሪቱ ለብልጽግና እና ለዘላቂ እድገት ያላትን ታላቅ እድል ያሳያል። ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትር ዐቢይ አህመድ አሊ ወጣቶችን የለውጥ ዋነኛ ሞተር እና የሀገሪቱ ሉዓላዊነት ጽኑ ማገር አድርገው በመግለፅ ወደፊት ለሚገነባው ኢትዮጵያ ግንባታ ቁልፍ ሚና እንዳላቸው አጥብቀው ተናግረዋል።
ወጣቶች፦ የለውጥ ሞተር እና የሉዓላዊነት ማገር
ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትሩ በቅርቡ ባስተላለፉት መልዕክት፣ የኢትዮጵያ ወጣት መልካም ዓላማን አንግቦ የሚንቀሳቀስ፣ የለውጥ ዋነኛ ሞተርና የሉዓላዊነታችን ጽኑ ማገር መሆኑን አስምረውበታል። የኢትዮጵያ ወጣት የሀገሩን ታሪክ በአዲስ ብዕርና ብራና እየፃፈ መሆኑን ገልፀው፣ ዛሬው ወጣት ከሀገሪቱን ከኋላ ጠፍንገው ከያዙዋት አጓጉል ልማዶች፣ አላስፈላጊ ንትርኮች፣ ጭቅጭቅ እና ግጭቶች በመራቅ በልማት ላይ ማተኮሩን እና ድህነትን መቃወሙን አመላክተዋል።
የኢትዮጵያ ህዝብ የእድሜ ስብጥር እንደሚያመላክተው ወጣቶች ከፍተኛውን ቁጥር መያዛቸው ሀገሪቱ ለብልጽግና እና ለዘላቂ እድገት ያላትን ታላቅ እድል ያሳያል።
የመደመር መንግሥት ለወጣቶች ቁርጠኝነት
ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትሩ የመደመር መንግሥት የወጣቶችን ሁለንተናዊ ተጠቃሚነትና የአመራርነት ሚና ለማጠናከር በትኩረትና በቁርጠኝነት እየሰራ መሆኑን አስታውቀዋል። መንግሥት ወጣቶችን በማበረታታት፣ በማጎልበት እና በአመራርነት ሚና ለማበልጸግ የተለያዩ መርሃ ግብሮችን እያከናወነ መሆኑን ገልፀዋል።
ወጣቶች በሀገር ግንባታ ውስጥ ያላቸው ተሳትፎ እንዲጠናከር እና የእነሱን የፈጠራ እና የስራ አቅም በማሳደግ ረገድ መንግስት የተለያዩ እርምጃዎችን እየወሰደ ነው።
ወጣቶች፦ የተሻለ ነገ መሠረት
ወጣቶች የኢትዮጵያ ልዩ ሀብት መሆናቸውን የተናገሩት ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትሩ፣ የሀገር ግንባታ ስራ በወጣቶች እጅ እንደሚዳብር አመላክተዋል። የኢትዮጵያ ወጣት የሀገሪቱን ታሪክ በአዲስ ብዕርና ብራና እየፃፈ መሆኑ በልማት መስክ እያሳዩ ያሉት ተሳትፎ ጎልቶ ይታያል።
ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትሩ በመጨረሻም ሀገራዊ ራዕያችንን ዕውን ለማድረግ ሁላችሁም በንቃት እየተጋን፣ በፍቅር እንድንመላለስ ጥሪያቸውን አቅርበዋል።
ማጠቃለያ፦ ወጣቶች የተሻለ ነገ መሠረት ናቸው
ኢትዮጵያ ወደፊት የምትገነባው በወጣቶቿ እጅ ነው። ወጣቶች የሀገር ግንባታ፣ የለውጥ ሞተር እና የሉዓላዊነት ማገር ናቸው። መንግሥት ወጣቶችን በማጎልበት እና በሁሉም የሀገር ግንባታ ዘርፎች እንዲሳተፉ በማድረግ ረገድ ቁርጠኝነቱን ገልፆታል።
ኢትዮጵያ ትነግር!
ወጣቶች ኃይል ናቸው!
ለውጥ ይኑር!
A Grand Opening: Godo Housing and Smart Real Estate Ushers in a New Era of Development
A Celebration of Partnership, Innovation, and Community in Finfinne
By Dhabessa Wakjira
(Finfinne — Saturday, August 8, 2026) In a spectacular display of progress and collaboration, the grand opening ceremony of Godo Housing and Smart Real Estate took place in Finfinne, marking a significant milestone in the region’s development. The event, held on August 8, 2026, brought together distinguished guests, government officials, and community leaders to celebrate the successful launch of the groundbreaking project.
The ceremony was a testament to the power of partnership and shared vision, featuring the presence of Oromia’s highest leadership and key figures behind this transformative initiative.
A Gathering of Leaders
The opening ceremony was graced by a host of esteemed dignitaries, reflecting the project’s importance to the region.
- His Excellency Obbo Hasan Ali, the President of the Oromia Regional Government, was in attendance, underscoring the administration’s commitment to development and economic growth.
- Representing the “Public-Private Partnership” (70/30) project was Honorable Dr. Abdii Fufaa, who spoke on the collaborative model that combines public sector support with private sector efficiency.
- The Founder and CEO of the African Holding Group, Obbo Darajjee Maammuyyee, was also present, highlighting his company’s vision and execution of this ambitious project.
The event also welcomed numerous invited guests, all of whom contributed to the celebratory atmosphere and the exchange of ideas for the future.
Voices of Support and Vision
The program featured insightful speeches that focused on strengthening and expanding the project’s impact. Attendees praised the initiative’s potential to reshape the real estate landscape and boost the local economy. The collaborative spirit of the 70/30 model was a central theme, emphasizing how government and private entities can work together to achieve sustainable development.
Godo Housing: A Symbol of Progress
The inauguration of Godo Housing and Smart Real Estate represents a significant achievement in Oromia’s development journey. As a key project under the public-private partnership framework, it is expected to:
- Provide modern and accessible housing solutions.
- Create employment opportunities for the local population.
- Boost investment and economic activity in the region.
- Showcase a model of sustainable and collaborative urban development.
A Bright Future Ahead
The successful ceremony marks the beginning of a new chapter for urban development in Finfinne. The project stands as a beacon of what can be achieved when vision, innovation, and collaboration come together.
Injifannoon Ummata Oromoo!
Godo Housing and Smart Real Estate haa jabaattu!
This feature article is dedicated to all those who have worked tirelessly to bring this vision to life.
Oromedia 