Gedeo–Oromo clashes
Gedeo–Oromo clashes are ethnic clashes in Ethiopia between the Oromo, the largest ethnic group in the country, and the Gedeo, that began in 2018, with rising political unrest in the country. The clashes led to about 800,000 mostly ethnic Gedeos fleeing their homes, a higher number and over a shorter period of time, than occurred at the height of the more publicized Rohingya crisis in Myanmar the year before. The government pressured the refugees to return to their homes even though they fear for their lives, often by denying refugees access to humanitarian aid. This conflict is concurrent with the Oromo–Somali clashes between Oromo and Somalis in the east of the country. These ethnic conflicts involving the Oromo led to Ethiopia having the largest number of people to flee their homes in the world in 2018. Some have blamed Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for giving space to political groups formerly banned by previous Tigrayan-led governments, such as the Ginbot 7 and Oromo Liberation Front.
