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Ethiopia is slowly moving in the right direction after reformist Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power more than 100 days ago. But unless Prime Minister Abiy addresses justice, the rule of law and impunity; a culture of abuse, tribal violence and rebellion would favor Ethiopia.
For the last two decades, it is unfortunate that the Ethiopian justice system has turned a blind eye to the mbadive human rights violations that have afflicted the country.
This failure has encouraged more human rights violations in Ethiopian regional states. But the zero foundation of all these abuses is in the Somali regional state.
Ethiopian citizens in the region still suffer under the tyranny of thug Abdi Mohamoud Omar, aka Abdi Illey, elected president of the Somali region. For example, when thousands of Amhara and Oromo prisoners were released from federal prisons, many Somali prisoners were still languishing in one of the most notorious detention centers in Ethiopia, Jail Ogaden in Jigjga, the seat of the regional government. Somali and other prisoners. According to a Human Rights Watch report released last week, Abdi Illey commands prison guards and a notorious para-military force, the Liyu (Amharic) police. The Ethiopian army and intelligence services have set up Liyu Police, funded by Western donors, against the National Liberation Front of Ogaden (ONLF), a group that is fighting for freedom. self-determination of the Somali region
. the units of the force are recruited into his own subclan. Since Liyu's police were instituted, Abdi Illey has used this force to terrorize the Somali civilian population in the region with impunity, under the pretext of fighting the ONLF or terrorism in Somalia proper.
To foment ethnic tension, last year, Liyu police, marauding, attacked Oromo villagers under the pretext of a border dispute between regional states of Oromia and Somali . As a result, innocent Somalis were slaughtered in the Oromia region, and thousands of civilians from both communities, who coexisted peacefully for centuries.
Liyu Police's "scorched-earth" tactics include: torture, kidnappings, rape, cattle looting, well destruction and village shaving, "Human Rights Watch said. But until now no one has been held responsible for these atrocities, some of which may constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity.
The Ethiopian state should not be complicit in the torture and killing of its citizens. culture of impunity for torture that has prevailed in Ethiopia for so long. He must hold responsible, the belligerent Abdi Illey, and his facilitators in the Ethiopian army and the intelligence services, who are accomplices, commanded or encouraged in these heinous crimes.
The Ethiopian prime minister is also expected to open the country to the United States. United Nations human rights rapporteurs will conduct an independent investigation into the mbadive human rights violations committed by the infamous Ogaden Prison and the scorched earth policy against civilians by forces of the United Nations. federal and regional security in the Somali region.
for the torture and reign of terror of Liyu's police: In fact, it is time for Prime Minister Abiy to finally dissolve Liyu's police and replace it with an inclusive professional professional police recruited from all Somali clans of the region. by donor countries, if the Ethiopian state does not have the resources to do so.
Enough, that's enough. What the besieged civilian population in the region deserve desperately, that is justice and responsibility: Anyone with blood with his own hands, like Abdi Illey and other perpetrators of crimes against him. humanity, must be held responsible for the rampant atrocities that have taken place in the Somali region.
As former 42-year-old detainee Jail Ogaden told Human Rights Watch, "We can not forgive him for what he and his police Liyu did to our people. He destroyed a generation. His police killed my brother, my mother died in prison and my other brother disappeared. My family is gone … We will never forgive him. He has to face justice for what he's done. "
Today, the era of the de facto dictatorship is on the decline, it is urgent that the Ethiopian state fight against prevailing impunity and lack of accountability for Human Rights Violations and Crimes in Ogaden Prison It is not only vital for the victims, the survivors and their families, to obtain the truth, justice and responsibility and to move on to something else, but also to show the example to powerful government officials that torture does not pay.
Ali Mohamed is the founder and publisher of Gubanmedia.com an independent source of news and online commentary covering the Horn region of Africa.It can be reached at aliadm18 at gmail dot com.
Lewis Center, Ohio
The Prime Minister Abiy must address the culture of impunity and violations of human rights as in Ethiopia was last amended: 30 July 2018 by MGoth
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