Ethiopia: Militia Attacks Villages In Eastern Oromia

It has been reported that the Ethiopian-Somali regional state militia known as ‘Liyu Police’ has attacked the town of Qumbi in Eastern Oromia killing many and displacing the population. For the past month the Liyu Police have been attacking, harassing and displacing civilians in the lowland region of Mayu Mulluqe county (woreda) in East Hararge zone. Attacks have taken place in and around the municipalities of Qumbi Goohaa, Seelaa Jaajoo and Aanaa Miinoo according to locals. Many have fled these areas to neighbouring places such as Burqa Tirtira and the vacated areas remain under the Liyu police occupation.

Since its creation in 2007, the Liyu Police militia has been known to commit atrocities against civilians in the Ogaden region and has launched attacks on neighbouring Somali tribes on numerous occasions. However in the last few months, the militia has begun carrying out cross-border raids into the Oromia region. It should be remembered that this heavily armed militia overrun the town of Moyale in Southern Oromia resulting in the death of dozens of people and forcing tens of thousands to flee to Kenya, as reported by Al Jazeera. All indications are that the attacks have been carried out on the orders of the Federal government in Addis Ababa. As reported at the time, during the attack on Moyale, the 4th army division stationed just two miles outside the town center watched silently as the militia overrun the police station and ransacked the town. Then the militia was allowed safe passage to retreat after looting and burning the town while administrators of the Borana province who protested against the army complacency were thrown to jail where they still remain.

Similarly, prior to the recent attacks, the local militia in Mayu Mulluqe in charge of security had been disarmed while the Liyu Police have continued to receive supply of arms and food from the federal government, according to officials of the East Hararghe province who do not wish their name to be disclosed. After the militia’s incursions into Oromia region began last month, trucks transporting weapons to the areas controlled by the militia have been reported by witnesses. Locals in Burqa Tirtira have blocked roads preventing weapons from reaching the militia currently occupying Qumbi. Despite this, weapons have been flown in and the campaign has continued. It is believed that Burqa Tirtira town may be the next target of the onslaught. This militia is so well trained and heavily armed that, they have taken over most of the fight against the Ogaden insurgents enabling the federal government to move most of its contingents to the northern front where confrontation with Eritrea is on the rise. The Guardian recently reported that the British aid money is been used to arm and train the Liyu police.

According to a source in the Somali region, the president of the region and commander of the Liyu police told the Somali elders that the cross-border raids and invasions by the Liyu police are meant to reclaim territories lost to Oromia during the 2004 boarder referendum. It is to be recalled that referendum was organized to settle dispute between the two regions over 420 kebeles in 12 districts. The referendum resulted in residents living in the 80% of the disputed areas voting to join Oromia. The district of Qumbi was created from some of the villages that voted to join Oromia. However, the demarcation has been postponed for the past nine years. The final phase of the demarcation was supposed to take place his year.

However, the territorial dispute seems to be more of a cover story than a real motive for both the regional and federal government in catalyzing this conflict. There are two motives at play, tackling the activities of the Ogaden and dispersing the growing resistance of the Muslim population. The government suspects that Oromo communities in the region has been complacent in facilitating for the Ogaden to pass through and hide within the Oromo territories whenever they are pressured in their home region. The government securities believe that local elders’ close relations with Ogaden rebels might be orchestrated by the Oromo Liberation that historically enjoys strong support in the area. Hence the regime is reviving the territorial dispute to frustrate the operational alliance between the two insurgents.

Moreover, East Hararge zone has been the target of the governments Ahbash indoctrination campaign and was singled out in a leaked government document as a target zone for government “re-education” due to the so called spread of “extremism”. The report complained that administrators in charge of many of the districts in the province have been openly hostile towards and refuse to implement the indoctrination campaigns. Therefore these attacks by the Liyu Police militia can be interpreted as an effort by the Ethiopian government to instill fear in the population and force them into submission in exchange for protection against the cross-border raids. If the government does at some point decide to step in and restrain its attacks, they will likely try to appear as the peacemaker and the populations’ only source of security, while sowing hatred and distrust between Oromos and their neighbours.

The report first published by The Gulele Post

Ethiopia’s announcment of Haile Mariam as AU chairman is premature and against the protocol

•  

Clip this article

Hailemariam Desalegn

In this article

• Companies and organisations: African Union

ADDIS ABABA — The Ethiopian foreign ministry announced Wednesday that Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn is to take over as chairman of the African Union (AU) from President Yayi Boni of Benin this month — which has raised questions of breached protocol and timing.

Mr Hailemariam’s appointment coincides with the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the predecessor of the AU, which took place in Addis Ababa, on May 23 1963.

Ambassador Dina Mufti, spokesman for the foreign affairs ministry, insisted that the election of Mr Hailemariam in the golden jubilee year — the focal point for the commemoration will be the Ethiopian capital — was not deliberate.

“It’s not to coincide with the celebrations,” he said. “But whether it is coincidental or not, it has outstanding significance for us, in the sense that Ethiopia was the birthplace of the AU.”

The announcement of Mr Hailemariam’s chairmanship also breaks AU protocol. The election of the chairman, who strictly rotates between the continent’s five regions, usually takes place on the first morning of the January meeting of the AU Assembly of Heads of State of Government, due this year on January 27.

According to Mr Dina, the decision that Ethiopia would hold the organisation’s top job this year was taken two years ago, when it would have been expected that the late prime minister Meles Zenawi would have assumed the role.

Solomon Dersso, senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies in Addis Ababa said the decision that Ethiopia would take over from Benin emerged during the AU’s July summit.

“This gives Hailemariam a chance to pursue the agenda that Meles was passionate about,” said Mr Dersso. “This includes issues relating to the strengthening and enhancement of the Nepad (New Partnership for Africa’s Development) process, providing leadership and drawing attention to the negotiations on climate change and most important, at a regional level, for addressing peace and security issues.”

He believes Mr Hailemariam, who replaced Meles after his death in August last year, will use his position as AU chairman to highlight negotiations between Sudan and South Sudan. Ethiopia has been playing a pivotal role in facilitating the talks.

Mr Dersso said the prime minister would also be a strong advocate for Somalia’s new government.

The celebrations of the 50th birthday of the OAU will begin on January 27 and continue until May 25. “This is an African joyous moment. We are celebrating our achievements in liberation, our achievements in economic progress, our achievements in peace and security,” Mr Dina said.

IMF: Ethiopian GDP growth figures don’t match with it’s own calculation

January 15, 2013: The government and the International Monetary Fund are at odds over projected GDP growth figures. The IMF says Ethiopia’s economy will grow by 6.5 percent in 2013. The government estimate is around ten percent.  The argument is important because the government is seeking more international investment. Government critics point out that the biggest deterrent to investment is endemic government corruption.  And that is quite true.  Surveys indicate Ethiopia may be less corrupt than some of its neighbors (ie, Sudan and Eritrea) but the perceived level of corruption in Ethiopia is quite high, particularly in the construction industry. An international corruption survey ranked Ethiopia 113th on its list (tied with Albania). Still, Ethiopia has shown consistent economic growth since 2004 and 2005. The country’s coffee is a prized international commodity and coffee exports have increased. The government is seeking investments in its agriculture sector and food-processing.

January 13, 2013: Kenya is considering deploying soldiers to the Tana River area in an attempt to stop further inter-ethnic (tribal) warfare.

January 12, 2013: An Ethiopian Ogaden exile group has asked the government of Great Britain to not give Ethiopia foreign aid money to train paramilitary militias in Ethiopia’s Ogaden region. The group claimed that Ethiopian paramilitary Liyu police habitually terrorize Ogaden natives.

January 10, 2013: Ten people were killed in what Kenyan officials described as a retaliatory tribal attack near the Ethiopian border. The attack occurred in the town of Kibusu (southeastern Kenya, Tana River delta area).  Since mid-2012 the area has witnessed several raids and counter-attacks between the Pokomo and Orma tribes. The Pokomo are farmers and the Orma are pastoralists (cattle herders).  Both sides have complained about the lack of police protection.  Kibusu is a Pokomo town. The Orma reported that one of their villages (Ndura) had been attacked on January 9 and nine people were killed.

January 8, 2013: Several members of Ethiopia’s ruling party officials were killed when the bus they were traveling in hit a landmine in the town of Lalibela. A rebel group called the Ethiopian Unity and Freedom Force (EUFF) claimed to have laid the mine.

January 5, 2013: Two young men were killed in a grenade attack on the Dagahaley refugee camp in northeastern Kenya (Dadaab area). Seven people were wounded in the attack. The camp is about 100 kilometers from the Somalia border and many people in the camp are Somalis. Al Shabaab militants have attacked Somali refugees in northern Kenya.

January 2, 2013: A senior Kenyan official in the town of Garissa (northeastern Kenya, Somalia border area)  claimed that several recent terror attacks in the city and its immediate area were committed by local men who at one time had crossed into Somalia to serve with pro-Somali government militia forces. The official said the men had subsequently deserted the TNG militia forces. Al Shabaab allegedly pays anyone who kills a Kenyan policeman or soldier $8,000, and the former deserters may now be working for Al Shabaab.

January 1, 2013: The Ethiopian Army’s continued presence in Somalia is largely under the radar. However, a recent Somali government statement indicated that the Ethiopian Army is continuing to train pro-Somali government militias. The Ethiopian Army recently completed training an 800-man unit in Somalia’s Bakol region.

December 30, 2012: Security personnel in Djibouti shot and killed one teenager and wounded several other people in an incident in the town of Obock. The civilians were allegedly conducting a peaceful protest about their school’s lack of a good sports facility.

December 29, 2012: As 2012 ends, the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) continues to occupy the Somali port of Kismayo where locals report seeing KDF soldiers on patrol, wearing helmets and body armor. They are often accompanied by Somalis who belong to the Ras Kamboni militia. There are also pro-Somali government militiamen in the city, some of whom are now in what is called the Somali National Army. Kismayo has two airfields, an airfield near the city and the international airport, which is about 15 kilometers inland. The KDF has contingents at both airfields. The KDF has built bunkers around the international airport. Theunit at the international airport is basically a mechanized infantry battalion (supported by tanks).  All KDF troops are now part of the African Union’s peacekeeping mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

December 26, 2012: Raiders now identified as members of the Turkana tribe attacked a Samburu tribe village near the Kenyan town of Baragoi (north central Kenya). The raiders stole over 250 head of cattle. At least 12 people were wounded in the attack. Authorities believe this group probably launched the attack on December 22.

December 23, 2012: A senior member of the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) has reportedly defected from the rebel group. The ONLF leader is said to have joined the Ethiopian government.

December 22, 2012: Kenyan police reported that suspected Al Shabaab terrorists shot and killed three in the town of in Garissa (northeastern Kenya). One man was also wounded.

Two hundred heavily armed raiders attacked the Kenyan village of Masikita (Baragoi area). The raiders stole 400 cattle and over one thousands goats. Authorities reported the bandit group had light machine guns and grenades as well as assault rifles and pistols.

December 15, 2012: Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) occasionally distributes a list of combat actions in the Ogaden. It is difficult to know just how accurate these lists are. For one thing, the Ethiopian government restricts international press access to parts of the Ogaden (especially those where the ONLF operates). A recent list of attacks cropped up on an ONLF website. The ONLF claimed its fighters killed 40 Ethiopian soldiers and allied militia fighters in a battle near the village of Labiga (Dhagahbur province). This clash took place on December 8.  Another ONLF rebel group attacked a garrison in the village of Gosolalev and killed 18 soldiers.

December 14, 2012: Kenya’s police and military have both acknowledged that they are deeply concerned about security for the nation’s March 2013 national elections. Kenya has a spotty record when it comes to election violence. The last election set off several weeks of inter-tribal violence. That threat still remains but it is exacerbated by Al Shabaab’s threats to conduct terror attacks throughout the country. Al Shabaab characterizes its attacks as retaliation for the Kenyan military’s (Kenya Defense Forces) intervention in Somalia. The election is scheduled to take place on March 4, 2013.

It looks like Eritrea has decided to respond indirectly to Ethiopia’s offer to negotiate. Eritrea’s president, Isaias Afwerki, has reportedly asked Qatar’s government to act as a go-between and possibly serve as a mediator if negotiations develop. This is a change from past peace-feelers, which Eritrea has tended to reject out of hand.

December 13, 2012: Two Ethiopian political figures who were accused of belonging to the Oromo Liberation Front have been convicted in court of belonging to a banned organization and inciting rebellion. Bekele Gerba, a member of the Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (an opposition party) was sentenced to eight years in prison. Olbana Lelisa was sentenced to 13 years in prison.

Kenya has placed its police and military on high alert for the entire Christmas holiday season. The government said that it has credible intelligence that Al Shabaab militiamen intend to launch terrorist attacks in Kenya during the Christmas holidays.

December 11, 2012: The Kenyan government said its security forces had arrested six suspected Al Shabaab terrorists. The arrests took place I the Ruka area (Somalia-Kenya border). The security personnel seized hand grenades and two pistols.

December 8, 2012: Ethiopia’s prime minister has reportedly offered to negotiate without pre-conditions with Eritrea. The prime minster, Hailemariam Desalegne, indicated that he is willing to travel to Eritrea to conduct the negotiations.

Foreign visitors rip-off in Lalibela: 910 Br entrance

Foreign visitors to Lalibela were in for a nasty surprise on January 8, 2013, when they arrived at the holy churches and were told entrance fees had gone up by 160pc overnight.

The fee went up from 350 Br to 910 Br to visit the Lalibela churches in the Amhara Regional State, an hour’s flight from Addis Abeba.

The town of Lalibela was buzzing, with numerous people making a living from the tourism industry bracing themselves for the impact of the price increase, amidst concerns over how foreign visitors would react. Over 56,000 foreign visitors were reported to have arrived in the town, 636Km north of the capital, in 2011/12.

Lieuwe Bos, 24, a medical student who has just finished his studies and was travelling across Ethiopia with his girlfriend, was unable to pay the fees last week and did not go in.

“This is a rip-off,” said Bos, a visitor from the Netherlands. “How can they increase it just like this? This is more than three times what you pay at the Louvre in Paris, and that is the best museum in the world.”

Church officials vehemently defended the price hike, whilst hotel owners, tour guides and other tourism dependents denounced the increase as a ‘greedy grab’ by church officials, unconcerned about their livelihoods.

“I would not suggest for anyone to come here,” Bos said. “At least they could allow us to visit the churches individually, or give a student discount.”

Those opposed to the increase said that to keep within their budget, foreign visitors would simply spend less on other services in town, such as; buying souvenirs, hiring guides and staying at better hotels.

Adriana Bahar, Bos’s girlfriend, said, “I am very disappointed. We are at the end of our trip and we have used all of our money. We simply don’t have money for the entrance.”

One critic, involved in the tourism industry in the town, said that the head of the church in Lalibela was a powerful figure who kept his superiors happy by sharing the rich revenues that come from tourists.

“There is no accounting for the money,” he said. “The government has no say how they collect and use the money, because they say it is a church matter.”

Habtemariam Baye, who is in charge of the ticketing office at the churches, defended the price hike as long overdue.

“When it went from 50 Br to 100 Br, they said the ferengi are not going to come,” Habtemariam said. “When it went from 100 Br to 350 Br, they said the ferengi won’t come. They are now saying the same thing again, and they will be wrong again.”

The entrance fees for all of the 12 rock hewn churches of Lalibela have gone up by 160pc to 910 Br.

China in Ethiopia: oppressing, torturing, raping, killing, looting in Ethiopia(Amharic video)

UK urged to refrain from funding Ethiopia’s “special police”

January 12, 2013 (LONDON) – An exiled independent advocacy group, Resolve Ogaden Coalition (ROC), on Saturday urged the British government to refrain from sending money to train Ethiopian paramilitaries that are widely accused of human rights abuses in the ethnic Somali region.

Britain is preparing to fund up to £15 million in foreign aid to train the government-backed paramilitary group locally known as “Liyu police” as part of a five-year “peace-building” programme.

There have repeatedly been allegations of human rights abuses against the Liyu police.

International human rights groups have documented many extrajudicial killings, rape and torture by the Ethiopian militia group. The Ethiopian military has dismissed those allegations saying smear campaign against nation.

“Resolve Ogaden Coalition strongly urges the British government to immediately halt all financial, military and political support for the Liyuu Police and the Ethiopian regime” it said in statement it sent to Sudan Tribune.

ROC called on the British government to put pressure on the Ethiopian government to stop alleged gross human rights violations committed by the special police against the Ogaden people.

The group appealed to the British Government to pressure both the Ethiopian government and the Ogaden rebels to resume their stalled peace talks to end the long-standing conflict in the region.

Global bodies including Amnesty International have voiced concerns on how Britain’s foreign aid is spent.

However, Britain’s Department for International Development said that the peace and development programme will be managed by non-governmental and United Nations organizations “with the goal of improving the security, and accountability of the force.”

The department added that no funding will go through the government of Ethiopia to avoid financial abuse.

The UK is the largest aid contributor to Ethiopia after the United States.

In 2007, the Ethiopian military launched a counter-insurgency campaign against ONLF after the rebel group attacked a Chinese oil field and killed 65 Ethiopians and 9 Chinese workers.

Ethiopia’s counter-insurgency campaign is led by 14,000-strong special police.

The ONLF is a separatist militant group fighting a low-scale war for the independence of the Ogaden region that neighbors war-torn Somalia.

Addis Ababa has designated the group as a terrorist entity along with rebel group of Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and Gibot 7 movement.

In 2010, a major section of the ONLF signed a peace accord with Ethiopia.

British aid ‘to fund Ethiopian paramilitaries’ accused of rape, murder and torture

• Department for International Development offers £15million in aid to train security forces
• Human rights groups warn money could fall into the hands of special police known as Liyu

By Gerri Peev

PUBLISHED: 16:27 GMT, 11 January 2013 | UPDATED: 16:52 GMT, 11 January 2013

• Comments (39)
• Share

 

British taxpayers could be used to fund a group of Ethiopian paramilitaries who stand accused of murder, rape and torture.

The Department for International Development will dole out up to £15 million in foreign aid to train security forces in Ogaden, a Somali region within Ethiopia.

But human rights groups have warned that the money could fall into the hands of a thuggish security force that has been accused of executions and other crimes.

Official documents invite bids to train security forces as part of the five-year ¿peace building¿ programme in the war torn country. A girl is pictured in front of a rusted old Russian tank lying in a field near Aksum, Ethiopia

A document calls for tenders to train security forces as part of the five-year ‘peace building’ programme.  The Ethiopian government has relied on a violent ‘special police’ force to carry out its counter-insurgency in the area and there are fears that the UK is poised to engage with them.

Officials even spell out to any interested parties the ‘reputational risks of working alongside actors frequently cited in human rights violation allegations’.

The ‘special police’ known as Liyu have been accused of carrying out executions, rape, torture and raizing villages to the ground.

It is also claimed that they carried out a mock execution of a Swedish journalist jailed in Ethiopia in 2011.

Campaigners warn human rights abuses committed by the special police in Ethiopia are widespread

The Department for International Development insisted that ‘not a penny’ of money would go to the force and that the tender was for NGOs and private companies to improve security.

International Development Secretary Justine Greening also met with Ethiopia’s foreign minister to discuss human rights abuses on Thursday.

Ethiopia receives more than any other country in foreign aid from British taxpayers, some £390 million a year.

It is seen as an ally against Islamic militancy in east Africa.

DfID documents for the tender say the work will be for the ‘security and justice component’ for Ethiopia’s Somali region’ to ‘build a more peaceful and inclusive Somali region’.

It added: ‘The primary recipients of the services will be DfID for the design element and for the implementation of the regional government of the

Somali Regional State, specifically state and non-state security and justice service providers.’

‘The peace and development programme will be delivered in partnership with NGOs and UN organisations and no funding will go through the government of Ethiopia.’

But a Human Rights Watch report warns of the abuses meted out by the Liyu police, who it describes as a ‘force of some 10,000 -14,000 young Somalis mostly recruited from within the conflict zone (aka the Ogaden sub-region) using recruitment methods similar to those of insurgent groups.’

International Development Secretary Justine Greening has met met with Ethiopia¿s foreign minister to discuss human rights abuses

‘Training is minimal and loyalty within the force closely linked to personalities in leadership positions, of whom the president is paramount. Human rights abuses committed by the special police are believed to be more widespread and severe than those committed during the military campaign.

‘However, having a Somali paramilitary force lead operations in the region is convenient for the federal government who have been able to frame the conflict as internal regional politics rather than a government-led crackdown.’

Amnesty International’s Ethiopia researcher, Claire Beston, told the Guardian newspaper which unearthed the tender documents that any engagement with the paramilitaries was highly concerning.

She said: ‘There have been repeated allegations against the Liyu police of extrajudicial killings, rape, torture and other violations including destruction of villages and there is no doubt that the special police have become a significant source of fear in the region.’

A DFID spokesman said: ‘Not a penny of British money will go to the Liyu police force.  Reforming the Special Police is critical for achieving a safe and secure Somali Region and, following a request from Human Rights Watch, we are discussing with UN partners how we might work together to improve the Police’s human rights record.

He added: ‘The peace and development programme will bring safety, security and justice, as well as healthcare, water and education, to hundreds of thousands of people in the Somali region of Ethiopia. The safety and justice part of this programme will boost personal safety and the quality and reach of justice services, particularly for women and girls.’

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2260882/British-aid-fund-Ethiopian-paramilitaries-accused-rape-murder-torture.html#ixzz2Hmh5FkiO
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Rebels blow up bus carrying ruling party officials near Lalibela

LALIBELA, Northern Ethiopia (Ethiomedia) – Dozens of ruling party officials were killed and scores of others maimed when a landmine blew up their 45-seater bus near the historic town of Lalibela on Tuesday, rebel sources told Ethiomedia by phone on Wednesday.

 

The victims were all members of the Amhara National Democratic Movement (ANDM), which is one of the four parties that make up the EPRDF coalition.

The rebel group Ethiopian Unity and Freedom Force (EUFF) said the officials were returning to Bahirdar after they had Christmas celebrations at Checheho Medhanialem Church on the border between Lasta and Gayint districts.

The news couldn’t be verified by an independent source, though previous reports by the rebel organization have never been disputed by the government in Addis.

EUFF meanwhile warned civilians to avoid buses and other means of transportation used by ruling party and government officials.

Last week, at least 20 people were killed and 21 seriously injured when they were trying to put out a fire that had engulfed a fuel tanker belonging to the ruling party. The tanker had detonated a landmine. The incident attracted passengers of a bus but couldn’t escape death when the fully-loaded tanker exploded into a fireball and consumed all those who were there to fight the blaze.

EUFF has stepped up military operations in recent times, destroying TPLF/EPRDF property and targetting prisons to free detained political prisoners.

In Ethiopia, the political repression is so severe even journalists are convicted in courts as terrorists who are slapped with long-term prison sentences.

Ethiopia : Protest breaks out in Tegray

ESAT: FBI foils a murder plot to kill Abebe Gellaw, suspects under investigation