Addis Abeba — Renewed clashes along the border between East Guji Zone of Oromia Region and East Sidama Zone of Sidama Region have left at least 10 people dead, dozens injured, and thousands displaced, residents from both sides told Addis Standard, raising concerns over the effectiveness of recent government-led peace efforts.
News The latest fighting erupted last week between Gubboo Heema village in Girja Woreda, East Guji Zone, and neighboring Cirrii village in East Sidama Zone. Local residents said the violence continued from Sunday through Wednesday, causing extensive casualties, destruction of homes and public infrastructure, and renewed displacement.
"After the heavy clashes last month that claimed many lives, the situation had briefly calmed down. But fighting erupted again last week," a resident of Gubboo Heema said. "Many people were killed during the gunfire that continued from Sunday through Wednesday."
The resident said around 12 people were killed on the Guji side and nearly 40 others were injured. According to him, the injured are receiving treatment in hospitals in Adoola, Booree, Kuyyara, Shaashamannee, Wolaita Sodo, and Addis Abeba. He also said numerous homes and the Gubboo Heema Grades 1-8 school were destroyed, forcing thousands of residents to flee their homes and farmland.
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Keffale Mache, a resident of Cirrii village, described the renewed fighting as "tragic."
Another resident from Cirrii told Addis Standard that at least four people were killed during Tuesday's fighting alone. Because the clashes occurred across scattered rural areas, he said the exact number of casualties remained difficult to verify, but estimated that around 10 people may have been killed on the Sidama side during the three days of fighting.
Death & Tragedy Residents said the latest violence has also devastated livelihoods. Thousands of people displaced during last month's clashes had returned hoping to harvest mature crops, including maize, teff, and beans, only to be forced to flee again.
Discover moreInternational RelationsMapsDeath & TragedyAfricans & DiasporaGovernmentWar & ConflictMagazinesGeographic ReferenceHistorydeaths "We were preparing to harvest our crops," a resident of Gubboo Heema said. "Those who had been displaced last month returned to collect what they had grown, but they were met with gunfire once again. Our hopes turned to ashes in a single day."
Residents question official peace efforts
Residents from both communities blamed the renewed violence on what they described as an incomplete reconciliation process following last month's clashes.
Crops & Seed The long-running dispute over Gubboo Heema village has remained unresolved for more than three decades, periodically triggering deadly violence. Last month's fighting intensified following disputes over voter registration cards and the burning of regional flags.
According to residents, the peace process that followed involved government officials and security authorities but excluded the communities directly affected by the violence.
"Declaring that the community has reconciled without reconciling the families who lost loved ones is a mistake," one resident of Gubboo Heema said. "Without justice and genuine reconciliation, people will continue to seek revenge whenever they encounter one another."
Keffale Mache said a new dialogue involving Gadaa elders, traditional leaders, and religious figures is currently taking place in Wondo Genet town and Bensa Woreda. However, residents on the Guji side questioned the process, arguing that it remains centered on government structures rather than community-led reconciliation.
Residents from both sides said fear remains widespread following the destruction of homes, schools, and farmland. They stressed that lasting peace can only be achieved through traditional conflict resolution mechanisms and direct reconciliation between the affected communities.
Social Issues & Advocacy Gubboo Heema village is claimed by both Girja Woreda in East Guji Zone and East Sidama Zone, an overlapping administrative claim that residents say continues to fuel recurrent conflict.
Addis Standard was unable to obtain responses from federal or regional authorities regarding the latest clashes despite repeated attempts.
As Addis Standard previously reported, the Sidama Regional State announced on 24 May 2026 that clashes in border areas, including Cirrii, Arooressa, Hookoo, and Heema, had subsided following joint security operations by Sidama and Oromia authorities. The regional government acknowledged that the fighting caused deaths, property destruction, and displacement on both sides of the border.
At the time, residents told Addis Standard that tensions escalated after disagreements over the designation of an electoral polling station in Gubboo Heema, followed by the destruction of government offices and the burning of Oromia regional and Ethiopian national flags. The Sidama Regional Government attributed the violence to what it described as "troublemaking individuals" and said both regional administrations were working together to bring those responsible to justice and prevent the conflict from spreading to other border areas.
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Geographic Reference Previously, in March, 2026, Addis Standard reported deadly incidents reported along border areas between the Sidama Region and Oromia Region. Officials from both regions said clashes that left at least a dozen people dead in areas bordering West Arsi Zone in Oromia Region were triggered by disputes between individuals that later escalated into wider violence.
At the time, Sidama regional officials rejected claims that the conflict was rooted in ethnic tensions or border disputes, while authorities from both regions said lives were lost, residents displaced, and properties looted during the violence. Federal forces were later deployed to stabilize the area, and community leaders from both sides agreed to pursue reconciliation efforts.
Officials also acknowledged that neighboring communities in the area had previously experienced disputes over access to resources such as water and grazing land, although past tensions were often resolved through traditional mechanisms.
