Government Should Address Killings in Somali and Oromia Regions
Maria Burnettย ย Director, East Africa and the Horn
Ethiopiaโs new Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has electrified his country with aย range of reformsย since he took office in April, including the release of hundreds of political prisoners. But recent incidents of ethnically and religiously-charged killings in Ethiopiaโs Somali and Oromia regions point to ongoing tensions in the country. Much more government attention to these killings, including investigations and justice, is critical to ensuring all citizens can benefit fromย Abiyโs bold agenda for change.
Ethiopian authorities established the Liyu police in 2007 to combat the insurgent Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF); the paramilitary force has frequently been implicated inย extrajudicial killings, torture, and rape.ย In response to Abiyโs reforms, some members of theย ONLF declared a unilateral ceasefireย on August 12.The government has yet to announce concrete plans for substantially reforming or eventually disbanding the Liyu police, despite their involvement in cross-regional attacks. For example,ย Liyu police reportedly killed 41 peopleย and injured 20, in Oromiaโs Eastern Harerege a few days ago.
At least 15 people in other parts of the country โย DireDawa city,ย Shashemene,ย Tape town, and Adama cityโ were also killed in ethnically-charged mob justice and rioting in August.
The political and ethnic dynamics around these recent killings show that despite reforms and improved rhetoric on human rights from the federal government, insecurity is still a problem โ particularly where Liyu police roam unchecked. Bringing perpetrators swiftly to justice is the only way to not only stem the violence, but also signal to Ethiopians that the country is changing for good.
