Addis Abeba — A relative of Suye Kutala, a nine-month pregnant woman allegedly killed by security forces last August in the Guji Zone of the Oromia region, has reportedly been detained, family members and neighbors of the Saba Boru district told Addis Standard.
Suye, a resident of Buke Sire Kebele in the Saba Boru district, was shot dead on 8 August 2025 while guarding her six-year-old child and working on her farmland.
Family members said that on the night of 19 September, security forces returned to her home, set fire to property, including a grain storage facility, and detained four relatives. "They burned our home and took away our family members," a relative who requested anonymity for safety reasons told Addis Standard.
A neighbor recalled that prior to her killing, police accused Suye of being linked to an armed group and that she had been threatened by government-aligned militias. The same neighbor claimed that Saba Boru militia members were responsible for the killing.
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Among those initially detained were two elderly people, Galchu Dedecha (age 80) and Maneno Dina (age 77), as well as two children. Following media coverage of the case, two elders and one youth were released, but Nano Galchu (age 28) remains in custody, family members said.
The detainee, arrested on 19 September, is reportedly being held at the Saba Boru district Police Office and has not appeared in court. "The local authorities threatened us when we asked about the killing," a family member added.
A neighbor said no further security incidents have occurred since Suye's killing. However, they noted that no official investigation has been launched and no one has been held accountable.
Efforts by Addis Standard to obtain comments from the Guji Zone Security Command Post and Saba Boru District Police Office were unsuccessful.
The Saba Boru district administration addressed Suye's killing, which previously garnered media attention, in comments to the BBC. The administrator said she was killed in a crossfire between government forces and fighters of the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) and that it was unclear who fired the fatal shot.
The neighbor, however, disputes this account, insisting there was no armed clash in the area at the time.
Killings of civilians continue to be reported in parts of the Guji Zone. Residents voiced concern over escalating human rights violations, including attacks on pregnant women.
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A report by the Center for the Advancement of Rights and Democracy (CARD) noted that both government forces and the OLA have been implicated in recurrent cycles of violence against civilians in southern Oromia. The report emphasized that both sides prioritize political and military objectives over community safety, resulting in civilians bearing the brunt of the conflict.
