Controversial regional president arrested and charged with human rights violations

According to the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP), the disempowerment and arrest of the former regional president of Ogaden in Ethiopia is “a sign of hope for peace and justice” for one of the most embattled regions of East Africa. “The warlord Abdi Mohammed Omar was widely feared as a butcher. Thousands of Somalis and Oromo lost their lives to his state terror – and he failed to protect the Christian population from attacks by radical Islamists,” stated Ulrich Delius, the STP’s director, in Göttingen on Tuesday. The long-standing president of the regional government in Ogaden, who was arrested yesterday, is to be charged with human rights violations. He had been dismissed by the government of Ethiopia earlier this month, after radical Islamists had set fire to eight churches and murdered six priests.

“For the first time in more than 20 years of civil war and serious human rights violations, there is a chance for lasting peace in the strategically important region on the border with Somalia,” Delius stated. On August 12, 2018, following the dismissal of the dreaded despot, representatives of Somalia’s freedom movement ONLF (which has been fighting against the regional government for quite a while) announced a unilateral ceasefire, laying emphasis on their willingness to enter peace negotiations with Ethiopia’s new state leadership. The Ogaden region is considered a key factor regarding control over the Horn of Africa. Therefore, Ethiopia’s new government has great interest in peace and stability in the oil-rich region. There have already been several clashes between Ethiopia and Somalia because of the question of control over Ogaden.

The former regional president had systematically fueled tensions between the different ethnic groups. Thus, he had incited the Somali nomads against Oromo farmers, and more than 100,000 people were forced to flee in 2017 alone. His dreaded Liyu police had spread fear and terror among the civilian population. They were particularly feared for torture, but had also deliberately starved entire regions as an attempt to break up the ONLF.

Following the dismissal of the regional president, Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed promised the Christians in Ogaden protection against violence. “If Ahmed is planning to stabilize the region, he will also have to find an answer to the difficult question of how the Somalis can benefit from oil production and participate in the development. So far, the local population has been ignored, which fueled the conflicts in Ogaden,” Delius emphasized.

Headerpicture: UNICEF Ethiopia 2005/Heger via Flickr