Birtukan Temesgen, victim of the state-sponsored abduction of ethnic Amhara
By Eyob Tilahun
Abiy’s regime is a notorious intrapreneur of kidnapping and war targeting ethnic Amhara.
There are endless tragic stories of the kidnapping of ethnic Amharas that mainly ended up killing and raping. Among these, Birtukan Temesgen was picked for now. She was born and grew up in a challenging situation in Senan of Gogam in the Amhara region because her mother died when she was a child, and her father migrated somewhere.
After spending her childhood with her grandmother until the age of eight, she was forced to work in modern slavery. Despite this, she continued to study and took the higher education entrance exam, which she passed with excellent scores, and enrolled at Dembi Dolo University’s Pharmacy program.
On one black day in her life, she was kidnapped at the Dembi Dolo University campus while she was heading from the library to the dormitory when she was a second-year student.
She was abducted into the jungle by state-sponsored gunmen and forced to spend a year and a half there, witnessing unimaginable tragedies such as gang rape, which resulted in her pregnancy and childbirth during her stay.
Finally, those state-sponsored gunmen threw her somewhere, and she started her life begging to feed herself and her child. On top of that, she is too sick because of gang-raping and others. An EBS media that works to disclose tragic stories happening to people recently brought her into the media, and she disclosed from Alfa to Omega, focusing on the tragic crimes committed against her by folding tears. Media guys interviewing her were shocked by the story and could not control themselves, and continued to shed tears.
It sparked public outrage, and many people are at the boiling point of their anger here and there because of these government-sponsored tragic crimes. In response, the regime moved to commit further crimes by requesting the YouTube company to remove the video of her story uploaded by EBS Media, arresting media workers and forcing Dembi Dolo University to deny her enrolment. However, students in her batches and other shards of evidence falsified the regime’s eye-watering gangster acts.
It is very hard to list all of the kidnappings committed targeting ethnic Amharas in Ethiopia. Some of the recent kidnappings are mentioned below.
On 25 November 2012-Ethio-calendar, 17 Amhara students at Denbidolo University were abducted by the state-sponsored militant group and forgotten. Their families have repeatedly stated, “We want to hear the sounds of our children,” but their pleas have gone unheard.
On December 29, 2015-Ethio-calendar, 9 Dembi Dolo Amhara students were kidnapped in West Wolga on their way from Dembi Dolo University to Addis Ababa. There were also reports in various media outlets that there were other kidnapped students, and nobody knows where they are.
On June 25, 2016, Ethio-calendar, gunmen abducted about 100 Debarak University students who were travelling by bus from the Amhara region to Addis Abeba in the Gerbe Guracha district of the Oromia region’s North Shewa Zone, as reported by the BBC.
On March 8, 2017, Ethio-calendar, state-sponsored gunmen kidnapped all 60 passengers aboard a public bus in the Were Jarso area of the North Shewa Zone of the Oromia Region. Then they asked for 1.5 million ETB per individual, as reported by the BBC.
On 14 March 2017, Ethio-calendar, 60 people were kidnapped in the Alidoro area of the North Shewa Zone of the Oromia Region, as reported by Wazema Radio.
In Oromia’s Khalil North Shoa zone, just outside the town of Gorfo, gunmen kidnapped about 40 passengers in two vehicles three days ago, as reported by Wzema.
On August 27, 2015-Ethio-calendar, state-sponsored gunmen kidnapped about 300 innocent people from the Dera district. They were in transport travelling from different kebeles to the district capital.
On 22 September 2016-Ethio-calendar, 9 people were kidnapped by militia in the newly reconstituted Sheger sub-city of the Oromia region, Sululta sub-region and then 300,000 ETB was demanded per person for the release of the hostages.
On 08/11/2015-Ethio-calendar, Mesfin, the driver of a Sher Ethiopia car, went to load wine on the Sodere line, an area commonly known as Duni in the Oromia region and was held hostage as drivers’ voices were disclosed.
On 12/03/2015-Ethio-calendar, 1 public minibus, 1 Hailukus, and 3 trailers were taken hostage, and drivers, passengers and assistants were taken away on Route 55 from Wollongati Metehara.
Nine people were killed in front of the police station in the Oromia region. Then a family member from far and near came to the funeral and was buried. On the way back from the funeral, the undertakers are again taken hostage. At the time, it was reported that the kidnappers had killed one of the hostages and negotiated with the three of them.
On October 19, 2015-Ethio-calendar, on Saturday at the Blessed Nativity of Mary Church in the Kuyu district of the North Shwa Zone of the Oromia Region, gunmen killed a deacon and kidnapped eight priests.
On January 11, 2012-Ethio-calendar, at the baptismal feast of Tulu in the Ade Dengoru district of the Horo Guduru Zone of the Oromia Region, Tulu Christmas or Angergut, 30 Amhara ethnic nationals were abducted, and their whereabouts were unknown.
On 26/03/2015-Ethio-calendar, in Hosanna city, 9 students were kidnapped by unidentified persons; 1 was from Wachemo General Secondary School, while the rest were kidnapped by car from World Bright School to an unknown location.
On Wednesday night, eight drivers were reported to have been kidnapped when they arrived carrying coal on Encheni and Dangote Road.
There has been a murderous hostage attack on Orthodox individuals near the Special Name Salvation Church in the Kebele of Jena Gegesa Farmers’ Association in the Robe Didea district of the Eastern Arsi Zone. According to the Associated Press, many people were killed, while others were taken hostage.
In 2016-Ethio-calendar, public service workers from Addis Ababa and Oromia were on their way home when gunmen killed the driver and grabbed Amharic-speaking civil staff inside.
On July 26, 2016-Ethio-calendar, armed forces attacked a public transport commuter named Tata, destroying the vehicle and bringing down all of the passengers, killing a local traffic police officer and the driver, and kidnapping more than fifty passengers.
On 21 November 2015-Ethio-calendar, in the West Shewa Zone of the Oromia Region, 29 people were killed and others kidnapped.
On June 3, 2016, Ethiopian calendar, 29 people were abducted in two public transport vehicles commonly known as “Abdulla” as well as three Sinotruk Sinotrucks, FSR and Home automobiles that originated in Addis Ababa in the Muketuri area of the North Shewa Zone of the Oromia Region.
In 2016-Ethio-calendar, Sheikh Muhammad Mekin Sheikh Muhammad Arif, the imam of Haji Ahmad Masjid, was abducted by militants in the North Shewa Zone of the Oromia Region, and his family was reportedly killed.
On June 10, 2015-Ethio-calendar, it was reported by VOA that more than 50 drivers and their assistants were kidnapped in the Gerbe Guracha area of the North Shewa Zone of the Oromia Region, whose special name is Alidero.
Generally, Abiy’s regime is absolutely gangster, and this is why Fano has taken an arms and is struggling for survival.
Martin Plaut 
Dear Martine P,
I am among more people who follow you.
Specifically your report about birtukan kindnap cause is totally absulutely false.
Eyob Tilahun is among more people who fabricated disinformation to bias international community, you can’nt use this unqualified information they use for drama false propoganda.
You better check or find the truth, unless your own credibility will be indoubt.
Birtukan was not Dambidolo university pharmacy student she was in hawasa university as accountant.
Please reconsider.
Where did you get the information that she was enrolled at Dembi Dollo University. She did not even once mention the name of the university.
Birtukan Temesgen’s story is a harrowing testament to the systematic violence targeting Ethiopia’s ethnic Amhara community under Abiy Ahmed’s regime. Her resilience in surviving abduction, rape, and forced motherhood amid state-sponsored brutality is both heroic and devastating. That authorities sought to erase her voice—censoring media, intimidating universities, and arresting journalists—exposes a regime terrified of truth.
The litany of kidnappings listed here (Denbidolo, Debarak, Dera, and countless others) reveals a chilling pattern of state-sanctioned terror. How many more Birtukans must suffer before the world acts? These are not isolated tragedies but a calculated campaign of ethnic persecution.
To those dismissing these accounts: Read. Listen. Witness the tears of survivors and families pleading, “We want to hear the sounds of our children.” Silence enables atrocity. Solidarity with Ethiopia’s Amhara people—and all victims of state violence—demands global attention, accountability, and justice. #StopAmharaGenocide
Birtukan Temesgen’s story is a harrowing testament to the systematic violence targeting Ethiopia’s ethnic Amhara community under Abiy Ahmed’s regime. Her resilience in surviving abduction, rape, and forced motherhood amid state-sponsored brutality is both heroic and devastating. That authorities sought to erase her voice—censoring media, intimidating universities, and arresting journalists—exposes a regime terrified of truth.
The litany of kidnappings listed here (Denbidolo, Debarak, Dera, and countless others) reveals a chilling pattern of state-sanctioned terror. How many more Birtukans must suffer before the world acts? These are not isolated tragedies but a calculated campaign of ethnic persecution.
To those dismissing these accounts: Read. Listen. Witness the tears of survivors and families pleading, “We want to hear the sounds of our children.” Silence enables atrocity. Solidarity with Ethiopia’s Amhara people—and all victims of state violence—demands global attention, accountability, and justice. #StopAmharaGenocide
Response to Martin Plaut’s Post on Dembi Dolo University
It is unfortunate that Martin Plaut has shared misleading information regarding the alleged kidnapping of a student from Dembi Dolo University without verifying the facts. The university has officially issued a press statement confirming that the individual in question, Bertuquan Temesgen, was never enrolled at the institution in any department, nor did such an incident occur on campus.
Additionally, the department she claimed to have studied in did not even exist at the time, and the university has never recorded a single security breach of the magnitude described. The program aired by EBS, which was the basis for this false narrative, was found to be an irresponsible attempt to stir ethnic tensions and tarnish the reputation of the university and the Oromo people.
Spreading unverified reports about ethnic-based kidnappings fuels division and distracts from genuine concerns that need factual and solution-oriented discussions. I encourage responsible journalism that prioritizes truth over sensationalism.
For those seeking the full facts, I urge you to refer to Dembi Dolo University’s official press release on this matter.
Re: Response to: Samuel Amenu, Gudu Kassa and other upcoming comments;
Dears,
I’m not surprised when I see false-flagged comments because the regime used thousands of mouthpieces to cover up its crimes. It is disheartening to see people who attempt to conceal the facts. Being human was sufficient to denounce the tragedies that Birtukan experienced.
Birtukan witnessed her being abducted on university campus, taken to the jungle, and subjected to human agony such as group rape. The EBS media outlet disclosed these heinous acts, which the regime had planned to bury. People had their judgment and trusted the victim Birtukan, not the regime’s reckless information.
Some commenters noted that Dembi Dolo University issued a press release about Birtukan. Nobody is surprised that any institution under pressure from the regime would release any information at any level. Any statements from government-affiliated organizations in Ethiopia are virtually nonexistent unless they come from independent international media or organizations.
Dembi Dolo University is a hotbed of kidnapping for Amhara students; it has no moral to release a press statement on the matter. Those interested in the facts can read the global reports about the kidnapping of Amhara students at this University. Then please ask the University where the 17 Amhara students kidnapped in 2020 are. We want to audit not only student Birtukan but also others. Here are the worldwide reports:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-51411720
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/03/ethiopia-parents-fear-for-missing-amhara-students-as-universities-close-over-covid19/
https://www.thereporterethiopia.com/9240/
Ethiopia’s Oromia region sees dramatic kidnapping surge – BBC News
Ethiopia bus attack: Armed men abduct dozens in Oromia region – BBC News
Furthermore, for those who seek to know the facts, I urge you to refer to primary source who is victim of kidnapping and gangraping, and international reports, not fabricated information from sources owned by the dictator regime of Ethiopia.
If the administration is in good health, it can allow international media to investigate the issue rather than barring the Birtucan from any media connections. Despite calls for international journalists to report on the situation on the ground, the dictatorship has frustrated and jailed her. It is impossible to bury the truth with a pistol. It is a tragedy that the regime is attempting to abuse her again as a result of what she witnessed.
Those who attempted to cover up the regime’s atrocities, conceal justice, and connect claims with ethnic Oromo are detrimental to our people’s peaceful coexistence and pursuit of justice. Nobody related the kidnapping of ethnic Amharas with ethnic Oromos; instead, they accused the regime.
Genuine comments are welcome, but those who serve as mouthpieces for Abiy’s regime have no moral standing to critique Martin Plaut’s journalism. Plaut is a credible international journalist.
For those of you who have complained about what I’ve written, I always attempt to be a voice for voiceless people by reporting the facts without regard to ethnicity, religion, or anything else. I know those associated with the regime become furious, but it is up to you because my consumers are voiceless people.
What has happened to Birtukan is a clear manifestation of the atrocities and violence committed against ethnic Amharas during the last three decades. They kill, torture, rape and discriminate us and finally they act as if nothing happened. How sad.