02/06/2026
The Violence Against Hararghe Drivers and Travelers Must End!!!
For several years, a quiet but devastating crisis has been unfolding along one of Ethiopia’s most vital economic arteries. The stretch of highway running from Hararghe through Bordodde, Matahara, and on to Adama and Addis Ababa has become a perilous gauntlet for commercial drivers, merchants, and everyday travelers. What should be a corridor of commerce and connection has instead been marred by a recurring pattern of nighttime ambushes, violent robberies, and targeted kidnappings.
Behind the statistics are real faces: hard-working drivers who keep the nation’s economy moving, traders seeking to support their families, and citizens simply trying to reach their destinations. The persistent lawlessness on these roads has exacted a heavy toll in human lives and shattered families, sparking an urgent cry from the community: the killing, the looting, and the kidnappings must stop.
Commercial drivers and transport workers are the unsung heroes of the national economy. Every day, they brave difficult conditions to ensure goods reach markets and families stay connected. Allowing them to be subjected to violence, extortion, and fear on their own roads is an injustice that threatens both human dignity and economic stability.
True peace and development cannot exist without absolute safety of movement. It is time for authorities, security organs, and local communities to stand together, enforce the rule of law without compromise, and ensure that the highways of Hararghe once again become pathways of peace, productivity, and safety for all.
From ITUU POST
