A wave of violence in Djibouti has injured and uprooted thousands of Ethiopians, in what was widely believed to be a retaliation attack. The violent attacks against Ethiopian immigrants left several wounded, according to Ethiopian witnesses. Ethiopian-owned shops have been attacked and looted in the Balbala area of Djibouti city, according to witnesses.
The violence has been triggered following attacks that left six Djiboutian nationals dead in the Ethiopian city of Dire Dawa on August 5. “The Ethiopians who live in the Somali neighbourhoods of Djibouti city and the suburbs of Balbala have fled their homes and are now sheltered in Arhiba, an area inhabited by the Afars,” an Ethiopian businessman who asked not to be named told Ethiopia Observer. Thousands of Ethiopians, most of them Oromo ethnic groups are sheltered in makeshift camps at Arhiba fearing for their lives, the witnesses said. Oromo Media Network (OMN) showed footage of Oromo people being supported at Arhiba. Ethiopians in Djibouti accuse their embassy of inaction, stating that they are only receiving assistance from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The crisis in Dire Dawa started with events in the Somali regional capital Jijiga when supporters of the embattled regional presidents attacked non-Somalian living in the area. Djibouti had airlifted a total of 2,000 nationals from Dire Dawa, following attacks on its citizens who were there on vacation. Many Djiboutians come to Dire Dawa in July and August to escape the intense hot season there.
The Voice of America’s Amharic service reported a few hours ago that Ethiopia is preparing to repatriate 3,000 citizens stranded in Djibouti. About 200 have already returned home, the radio said citing Ethiopian government officials. Other sources in Djibouti told Ethiopia Observer there are around one thousand four hundred Ethiopians gathered in Nagad’s police headquarters, found in the suburbs of Djibouti city. The same sources say they were transferred from different parts of the country after they felt threatened and they were offered either return to Ethiopia under escort or temporary relocation in other parts of the city. 320 of them chose to return to Ethiopia. The Djiboutian government arranged bus transport for them, few of them have travelled the train on their own, it was said.
Djibouti’s primary cultural groups are the Issa and the Afar. The Issa resides in Djibouti, Somalia, and Ethiopia and the Afar resides in Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Eritrea. Around 80,000 Ethiopians permanently live in Djibouti, mostly Oromo and Issa ethnic groups. Many of those who live in the suburbs of Balbala are from Eastern Ethiopia such as Dire Dawa and Harar who have moved there in the early 1980s during the military Derg period. Other more recent migrants, Amhara and Afar from the Wollo area are mostly based in Arhiba, a suburb inhabited by the Afars. As opposed to those who stay, thousands of Ethiopian migrants pass through Djibouti each year to reach Yemen and eventually Saudi Arabia and other rich Arab countries.
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Ethiopia should take a swift and harsh measure immediately if the lousy government does not comply in a fitful and fruitful manner. The only thing these coarse thugs understand is the language of force since they are born craven. I hope these marauders will not come to Dire Dawa during the intense hot season for there will be a high price to pay cruelly to what they did against these defenseless six Ethiopians.
Paulos , what kind of comment is this ? Are you sowing more hatred ? What do you care? You have the luxury of not dying and be in the battlefield and rather recommend use of force . Let me educate you , in the use of force always people die from both sides . Have you ever thought that it’s actuality someone ‘s brother , husband , son dies in battlefields . It is not a video game . If you do not have anything constructive and peace making comments to give , please don’t speak .
Hatred is toxic until TPLF and people like you introduced in our beloved country since 1991. That is the thing that runs their blood and it is almost genetically structured in their DNA. This is not something to be heard but to be seen everyday unless one must be hiding under the dark cave. The sordid history of TPLF and its forbears dates back from Napier, Pietro Badoglio, Rodolfo Grazani, British Military Government, Ambassador Herman Cohen, Paul Heinz and poor Abdi Ogaden. Oh, dear! How can one forget Abdallahi Ibn Muhammed Al-Khalifa of Sudan, who made every black African proud of what he did against British colonialists shortly after Menelik II won decisively the battle of Adwa (where the poisonous Meles Zenawi was also born) in 1896. It is incumbent up on me to make Ethiopians to be aware of this dirty tactics your ploy. I do not want my people go giggling to a gas chamber by a snake-oil salesman in Djoubti.
Seriously, you have big problem. ,
This report write about one side of the story but not the other side.
Four children and a mother burned alive in rented house and other more dead in Dire Dawa where was the so called police when this was happening. There will be a high price what they did against these defenseless Djiboutian who died in Dire Dawa.
Do you thing that it will be fair to kill people for the crime they have not committed. Are you shure who killed them in Dire Dawa?
Blame your terrorist Abiy. It is not Djibouti, Ethio-Somali the problem. The problem is your terrorist Abiy.
So sad
I think you do not know what a terorist means. Abiy is our best leader who belives in democracey and the people loves him to the extent of giving their life to him!
Abiye is not a terrorist may be you are talking about your experience. He’s giving a lesson for those barbaric lawless people who are talking about terrorist and terrorism day and night.
It always gets worse before it gets better.
As a Djiboutian it seems to me that is a very savage manner & create a hatred between two brothers countries Djibouti &Ethiopia regardless of the ethnicity so I will advise both side to stop publishing on the media.
Revenge is a sign of weakness and backwardness. The time is coming for ethiopia to be regional power and ethiopians blood wouldnt spill on vain any more
What the hell are you talking about Paulos Assefa….Djibouti consist of the Issa people and if you look in the Ethiopian history Dire Dawa is called NA ISSA NA GURGURA (home of the Issa and gurgura tribe)you cant erase history my friend so learn about history before you speak…dire dawa and Djibouti consist of the same tribe
You reminde me those Austrians who were involved during WW II denying their German DNA. Oh mammy, oh dear, We share the same language, but we are self-professedly Austrians. So different, indeed, qualitatively different from the ex-house painter, Hitler of Vienna. The point is whoever in charge of that tiny country should hang these killers until they are rotten on the gallows. The indigenous people of Djoubti are Afaars not the yester year settlers Ciisa and Issac.
Djibouti itself was part of Ethiopia before colonial invasion, no one will deny this fact. Keeping all scenarios in the past we have to learn to live in harmony, this …that belongs to me ,to you and bla bla arguments will not work right now, a place where your tribe lived is not necessarily yours, you have to appreciate the hospitality of Dire Dawa for letting your tribes live peacefully with the aboriginals
This is not true, I am in Djibouti, I am following this story very well, met Ethiopians community in Arhiba, Djibouti and no body has been Killed in Djibouti, please verified your source and remove this article.
I wonder,what the hell is going on.
Ibex
Djibouti itself was part of Ethiopia before colonial invasion, no one will deny this fact???
That’s not the actual truth but keep dreaming.
I really feel very sad reading the comments . Both Ethiopians and Djibotisns should not die. No nationality or ethnicity is better or superior than the other. How can you my Ethiopian people on this forum easily forget the hospitality and good will of the Djiboutians and speak so cruelly about spilling blood , that is barbarian. Our Djiboutian brothers and neigbhors please do not retaliate and harm your Ethiopian brothers and sisters, remember how long we have lived in harmony .
Can we not be civilized and have dialogue instead ?
You people who use insults , please educate yourselves and learn to speak civilly .
Read Hiowet Tamarat a TPLF troll at once, sanctimonious and lovey-dovey of killers. It will embarrass Ghandi. The tiger and the are only friendly in music composition. Bro,brother,Jalle when I hear those words, I flee. The next thing is one is taken undue advantage and mostly killed in the US and in Nigeria, South Africa. Therefore, I don’t believe in that industry of “Bro”. One must be brain damage to take seriously this hollow sentiment seriously.
Paulos Assefa,you remind me a teenager who is showing off the meagre grasp of European nationalism history in High School!
A mother along her 4 children were burned alive along a dozz’
by some Oromo and no single condemnation from Oromo Facebook guru Jawar!
Sadly some retaliation were done against innocent Oromo in Djibouti! All Djiboutians condemned and authorities reacted swiftly!
Luckily sick minded guys like you vegetating in Europe or America are not in charge of affairs !
Your venom will eventually kill you !
Thank you Arreh
Seldom do I replay to TPLF trolls. They’re too,feminists and Jihadiests. I heard a long time ago never to wrestle with a pig, it makes one dirty, and the pig loves that more than absolutely necessary. For 27 years TPLF was a source of human darkness and wretchedness for Ethiopia. Djoubti takes its marching orders from Weyane and do the baiting to kill and expel Ethiopians. Worst of all, it facilitated the pillaging of the country through its port.
🤣 Paulos Assefa ( distorted Asafa Powell probabll) come on have at least the decency to quote honestly famous authors, this quote with the pig is from Bernard Shaw!!
Let me quote you Bertrand Russell “ the problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are so certain of themselves and wiser people full of doubts”
From the top of your delusional ivory tower you are vomiting views you have been conditionned via your internet gurus.
It is time you free yourself from your mental chains as Ernest Renan said “ our opinion becomes fixed at the point where we stop thinking” 😉
You are dangerously dwelling in a paranoïa state of mind and see everywhere TPLF 🤣🤣
The world politics is dynamic and nothing is fixed like your little sick mind.Djibouti did not start the useless Badme war which killed more than 100000. Naturally Djibouti allowed Ethiopia to have access to sea during the conflict and that was a win win situation.
Djibouti’s sovereignty is guaranteed by France and we assume our status and even exploits ruthlessly!
Oromos and Amhara were welcomed in Djibouti and consider their second home, and in fact a high percentage of Djiboutians are originally from Ethiopia.One of the leading government official is named Simon Mibratu as Madam Abeba was top judge, all of them Djiboutians by birth but origin from this entity called Ethiopia!
Therefore people like you with psychotic episodes cannot comprehend the subtlety of human phenomenons !
If there is any troll here is any it is your toxic one which need to be confronted firmly.
Political extremism and religious extremism leading to violent actions follow the same though processes and patterns. Those masterminding the violence often use vulnerable individuals who can easily brainwashed and you show sadly all the signs of a vulnerable mentally ill little boy
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