Attack on minority, looting orgy grips Jijiga as defence force clashed with Abdi Illey’s paramilitary forces
Heavy artillery and sporadic gunfire spluttered around the Somali region’s capital Jijiga this morning as Ethiopia’s National Defence Forces (ENDF) entered the town to arrest the region’s president, Abdi Mohamoud Omar, known by his nickname ‘Abdi Iley’, who is of accused gross systematic human right violations and inhumane treatment of detainees in the region. Defence forces arrived on Friday evening and took over key positions including the parliament, the local TV and radio station, presidential residence early this morning, residents said. Gunshots and heavy weapons fire erupted between ENDF and members of the region’s notorious paramilitary “Liyu” forces, commanded by Abdi IIey himself. Events degenerated into scenes of random violence and widespread looting by a group of youth calling themselves “Heego”, loyal to Abdi Iley. They frenziedly went around attacking people, particularly non-Somali ethnic groups. “Those thugs who have been trained and financed by Abdi Illey,” according to the town’s resident, rose to the occasion by killing and looting at will. They attacked homes and seized goods and have emptied shops owned by Oromo and Amhara ethnic groups, witnesses said. The Oromia International Bank was one of the targets. The attackers reportedly used government vehicles to carry off their spoils. An Ethiopian Orthodox church, Kidane Miheret was torched, according to the witnesses. They also burned the Ethiopian flags and destroyed Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s photos. Footage of the damage on social media showed burned vehicles and offices gutted by fire. “The federal army seems to be either ill prepared for this operation or outnumbered. Their strategy is not clear,” Mohamed Olad, a journalist who writes for the web portal, Jijiga Herald said.
Fatal heavy truck crash
It is hard to verify how many had died but Jemal Dirie Kalif, a former member of Somali region Parliament and an opposition activist said a truck carrying people rolled over in the atmosphere of mounting hysteria and twenty seven people believed to have been died.
Though residents said the situation on Saturday evening was calm after some early sporadic gunfire, many fearful residents were confined to their homes, and some were sheltered in the Ethiopian Commercial Bank building and other buildings protected by the defence forces. Whilst others are seeking refuge at police stations and churches.
The decision to apprehend Abdi Iley was made following an attempt by Abdi Iley’s henchmen to disrupt meeting (possibly assassinate) Somali elders gathered in Dire Dawa town the day before, who according to some reports were discussing to overthrow Iley. it was also said Iley called meeting of the cabinet for today without advance notice, saying that extraordinary matters had to be communicated, which some said was to trigger article 39 which would call for the secession of the region from Ethiopia.
Abdi Iley’s fate unclear
Despite initial reports that Abdi Iley had been arrested, including on a Facebook post from Oromia government’s spokesperson, Negeri Lencho who referred him as “puppet lowland”, the officials stopped well short of declaring his arrest. Negeri’s Facebook post was deleted few hours later. Iley made a brief appearance on the regional television to ask for calm afterwards. There is still not a solid information about his situation. Negeri’s reference to “highland old masters, fighting proxy war” has drawn lots of comment. Since he was appointed as regional head of security in 2008 and regional president in July 2010, Abdi Iley was said to have developed strong ties with TPLF dominated military generals, particulalry with Abraham Woldemariam Genzebu, head of operation main department of ENDF. Abraham, known as Quarter, was head of the Eastern Defence Command of the ENDF, his name, along with Iley’s was often associated with atrocities committed by his troops and caused the displacements of half million people along the borders of the Oromia and Ethiopian Somali regional states. Iley consistently denied any responsibility. He instead depicted himself as the region’s peacemaker who had dealt with the ONLF rebels and stabilized the region. Though Iley’s relation with the new Abiy administration is far from being amical, he had pledged unconditional support for the new administration, praising Abiy Ahmed and Lemma Megersa a month ago.
Reactions
There were criticism of defence’s forces attempt to apprehend the regional president. The rebel Ogaden National Liberation Front calls on Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to immediately halt all military activities in the region and initiate a peace process inclusive of all stakeholders. “Only then can we meaningfully address the future of the Somali people including what an urgent transitional change might look like,” it said in a statement. “We welcome the rapid changes underway in the Ogaden region, but the unilateral decision of the government to deploy the Ethiopian National Defence forces and take control of the region is a hostile move against the Somali people- breeding further instability and chaos at this critical time,” it added.
A statement issued by the Ethiopia National Defence Force this evening condemned the “unacceptable” conflict that broke out in Jigjiga and spread to other towns, and called for its immediate termination. “Although the National Defence Force has been following the developments closely along with other security bodies and tried to control the situation, it is now escalating beyond control. Hence, as the situation has grown to undermine the peace and security of the people, the National Defence notifies that it will take the necessary measures within the legal bound,” indicated the statement.
Ethiopia’s Somali region has been disputed for decades. In 2007, ONLF attacked a Chinese-run oilfield in the area, killing 71 Chinese and Ethiopians workers. ONLF was established in August 1984 with its headquarters in Kuwait. The Liyu paramilitary police, regional state security composed of Somalia ethnic groups was formed by federal army in 2008 to counter ONLF. The Liyu forces, today numbered 45,000 have been partly responsible for the violence and clash along the provinvce’s border with the Oromia region and tarnished the image of the Ethio-Somali region. There were reports that Liyu force officials were getting too strong with military equipment and money and some engaged in Khat trade and clandestine people smuggling business.
Predictable crisis
Crisis Group’s Horn of Africa Analyst, Rashid Abdi says, “the crisis was predictable; highlights limits of Addis’s old policy of reliance on strong men to pacify and stabilise restive regions. In effect, PM Abiy has been handed a tricky legacy problem which he now will be called upon to navigate, resolve with great circumspection,”
“Iley is a beneficiary of the increased geopolitical, security and economic significance of the Somali Region in recent years. Much of this driven by proximity to Somalia; rise of militant Islam/resilience of Al-Shabaab (need to inoculate Ethiopia effectively); discovery of vast gas fields,” he tweeted.
Jijiga was the first town visited by Abiy Ahmed after he was sworn as prime minster last April, as a part of his mission to try to ease tensions and mounting escalations of distrust between the Somali and Oromo communities, which have been engaged in deadly back-and-forth attacks.
Main photo: Abiy Ahmed and Abdi Iley in Jijiga on April 6.
(Update: VOA’s Harun Maruf’s wrote an hour ago, saying nearly 30 people died as a result of yesterday’s violence in Jijiga, citing regional officials. Daniel Kibret, a deacon close to Mahibere Kidusan, Orthodox Church Sunday School Department said that Kidus Yared Hibue, a priest in Warder’s St. Gabriel church and Kidanemarim Niberetu, a priest at St. George church of Degahabur were among those killed. Daniel said St. Mary church in Kebri Dehar and St. George Church in Degahabur were completely burned.)
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The article gives a more clearer chronology of events that took place yesterday in jigjiga although it is a bit warped and biased in some areas especially in its narration of what led the region into the current situation.
The article like most of the other narrative from the centre does not mention the recent attacks by the Qeero of the Oromo on the Somali regions along the border with Oromia including Moyale. It talks of a notorious Liyu police of the Somali Region which had caused displacements in Oromia region but does not talk of equally notorious Liyu police of the Oromia Region that had more recently caused displacements of many Somalis during the Oromo-Somali clashes along the Oromia-Somali regional borders…
እነ ጄነራል አብራሃም እያመለጣቸው ያለውን ስልጣን ለማዳን፥ ህዝብ እርስ በእርሱ ቢጫረስ ምንም እንደማይገዳቸው በተግባር እያሳዮን ነው።
In Ethiopia, the threat of religious and ethnic conflict is not something new. So is problem of the Somali region. During the last 27 years, Meles Zenawi and his men instead of solving the problem exacerbated it. The ethnic federalism was an interesting experiment for Tigrayans to exercise their dominance and rule the country. Meles like he did in all regions of Ethiopia, he handpicked men that he wanted and he trained to assign them as puppets as regional presidents. Of course, order came straight from him and the military officers he assigned there. Interestingly, so-called doomsayers and analysts are trying to put all those blames on the new Abiy administration. Of course, most of those who do that are TPF enthusiasts. It is becoming increasingly clear that they pursue power at all costs. Let us remind them Ethiopia might falter but will never fail. Vain lies could have heavy cost and sacrifice of innocent people, but it already happened but Ethiopia will stay strong.
One should not underestimate TPLF gangs. They have built political structure of divide and rule in the past 27 years, and amassed wealth through looting. They would do whatever it takes to take back their dominance. They are capable of wreaking violence and havoc in Somalia and Afar regions, whose presidents that they control.
There was a narrative of “ethnic politics” that the minority Tigray Front/Meles Zenawi (representing 5% of the 100 million population) introduced in the early 1980s to divide up and thus control the country. Election 2005 proved the plan was totally unworkable and rejected by Ethiopians. Meles/Tigray Front devised in 2006 a narrative of “fighting terrorism” alongside the US/UK. It was a brilliant idea in that it brought in millions of aid money and provided cover for wiping out all opposition, expanding arbitrary detentions, torture centers, stealing of huge sums of money, money-laundering, human trafficking, etc. That in turn created enormous discontent that boiled over to protests all over the country. Tigray Front’s brutal crackdown would not keep the uprising down. The incompetent and servile Hailemariam had to hastily step down. The brutal and criminal leadership of Tigray Front was soon found out to be impotent and in disarray. Abiy became the only viable option to diffuse the tension. The parliament uncharacteristically voted him in with 108 of 180 votes; Tigray Front got only 2 votes (1 of which was the candidate’s). What Abiy was able to do in the past 4 months is beyond belief. Meles/Tigray Front reckless tactic led to the Ethio-Eritrean border war that decimated about 80,000 lives, not to mention the millions of the disabled and the displaced. Meles died in 2012 defeated by the war he instigated and unable to bring any resolution.
All that changed beginning four months ago. The narrative of “fighting terrorism” was revised to “establishing peace.” The minority Tigray Front was sidelined and suddenly lost its ‘touch’ with Ethiopians and most of all with Americans. Recent attempt on the life of Abiy, the assassination of Dangote Cement manager, the assassination of hydro dam project manager, small disturbances in Gumuz (west), in Ogaden (east), etc are attempt to bring the “instability, terrorism” narrative back and hence point to the indispensability of Tigray Front. Everyone in Ethiopia recognizes the hand behind all the assassinations and disturbances except Tigray Front! One other thing that has turned the table on Tigray Front is the fact that Americans and Brits have finally come to the conclusion that they have been taken for a ride with hardly any longterm results in view and much of taxpayers money in individual pockets and accounts. The new policy shift should lead to a new approach in IGAD organization and South Sudan conflict as leadership of these two have been in the hands of Tigray front members!