By Daandii Ragabaa
Finfinne

FINFINNE – This evening, the Oromia Supreme Court issued a statement. It was a statement that informed, that horrified, and that mourned — all at once. Because this statement speaks of the killing of a judge and an attempted suicide.

Aadde Warqee Fakkansaa and Aadde Almaaz Makonnin. These names, as of this evening, have become names of sorrow, of shock, and of remembrance.

According to the Oromia Supreme Court, the perpetrator of this crime has been apprehended, and other suspects are also being detained. But of the wound, of the cry, and of justice — the statement leaves much unsaid.

What Happened

According to the statement from the Oromia Supreme Court, the perpetrator of this crime acted after a ruling on the dissolution of a marriage. A dispute over the division of property was underway — and it was over this dispute that he opened fire.

The statement reads: “The husband of Aadde Almaaz, after shooting and killing Aadde Warqee Fakkansaa — a first-instance judge of the Walmara District Court — and his own wife, Aadde Almaaz Makonnin, then shot himself in an attempted suicide. He is currently in serious condition, under police custody, and receiving treatment at a hospital.”

Thus, the perpetrator — whose name is not mentioned in the statement — opened fire over a property division dispute. After a ruling on the dissolution of a marriage, he was displeased? The ruling did not please him? He did not accept the ruling? What is clear is this: the perpetrator was not satisfied with the judgment. And for that dissatisfaction, he killed two people.

Aadde Warqee Fakkansaa: The Judge

Aadde Warqee Fakkansaa was a first-instance judge of the Walmara District Court. In the course of her work, she listened to those who came before her seeking resolution. She issued rulings according to the law, according to the truth, and according to justice. In the course of her work, many loved her, many respected her, and many honored her.

But this evening, Aadde Warqee Fakkansaa — a working judge, a mother, a wife — was killed by gunfire.

“I knew Aadde Warqee,” said a source who requested anonymity. “She was a woman of good heart, a lover of justice, and a respecter of the law. She always ruled fairly, without looking to one side or the other. She did not deserve this. She did not deserve to die like this.”

Aadde Warqee Fakkansaa was killed by gunfire. The perpetrator, displeased with a ruling, opened fire. Aadde Warqee gave her life for the truth of her work, for the truth of the law, and for the truth of justice.

Aadde Almaaz Makonnin: The Bystander

Aadde Almaaz Makonnin was the wife of the perpetrator. She had no part in the shooting. She was not involved in the dispute. She did not know of the crime. When the perpetrator opened fire, she too was wounded. She too was killed.

“Aadde Almaaz was a wife and a mother,” said a legal expert. “She was not the judge. She was not the one who issued the ruling. She was simply there. And she was killed by her own husband.”

After killing Aadde Warqee Fakkansaa and Aadde Almaaz Makonnin, the perpetrator shot himself in an attempted suicide. He is currently in serious condition, under police custody, and receiving treatment at a hospital.

“Attempted suicide is not an escape from the crime,” said a legal analyst. “It is evidence. The perpetrator must face the law.”

The Statement of the Oromia Supreme Court

In its statement, the Oromia Supreme Court condemned the heinous act committed against the judge and stated that legal measures will be taken against the perpetrator and others suspected of involvement in the crime.

Thus, the statement declares: anyone who participated in the crime, anyone who was complicit, anyone who aided the crime — all must face the law.

“The law does not bend,” said a legal expert. “Whoever kills shall be killed. Whoever aids a killer shall be punished. Whoever intends to kill shall be punished. The perpetrator has what awaits him.”

However, the statement of the Oromia Supreme Court leaves much unsaid. The name of the perpetrator — the name of Aadde Almaaz’s husband — is not in the statement. The statement says the perpetrator opened fire over a property division dispute following a marriage dissolution ruling — but what was that ruling? What did it say? What did it give him? What did it deny him? These things are not in the statement.

“What is clear is that the perpetrator opened fire because of a ruling,” said a legal researcher. “But what was that ruling? What did it say that displeased him, that angered him, that he could not accept? Without this, the story is not complete.”

The People’s Grief

Across Oromia this evening, there is grief. Grief for Aadde Warqee Fakkansaa and Aadde Almaaz Makonnin. Grief within the Oromo community and within the Oromia judicial system.

“Once, a judge was respected for their work,” said Asnaketch Boru, 74, in Finfinne. “Today, a judge is killed by gunfire. That is a great thing. That is a terrifying thing. If a judge is not respected, if a judge is not protected, if a judge is not safe — where is the law? Where is justice? Where is truth?”

Within this grief, there is also a cry: a cry for justice, for the law, and for truth. This cry demands that a fair ruling be issued, that the perpetrator face the law, and that judges be protected.

“I have hope,” said Fatuma Jara, a cultural activist in Ambo. “I have hope that the law will work. I have hope that justice will be done. I have hope that the killer will be killed. I have hope that for Aadde Warqee and Aadde Almaaz, justice will be done.”

The Present Moment

In Oromia at this moment, there is conflict, there is dispute, and there is crying out. The law must work. Justice must be done. The crime must be punished.

“Judge Aadde Warqee Fakkansaa should not have died,” said Hunde Fekadu, a community organizer in Finfinne. “But she died. She was killed by gunfire. Our duty is to ensure this never happens again. The perpetrator must face the law. Everyone who participated in the crime must face the law. This is for the honor of Aadde Warqee. This is for the honor of Aadde Almaaz. This is for the honor of law and justice.”

The Oromia Supreme Court has issued a statement. The statement declares that legal measures will be taken. But the statement is not the end — not the end of the crying, not the end of the grief, and not the end of the struggle. The crying, the grief, and the struggle continue until justice is done.

Aadde Warqee Fakkansaa and Aadde Almaaz Makonnin have no peace yet. Justice must be done for them. Until that justice is done, their cry continues.

Daandii Ragabaa is a journalist based in Finfinne covering legal affairs, justice, and social issues across Oromia and Ethiopia.