ONLF Press Release-
Somalilandsun – The Ethiopian government has declared that it has heightened security inside the Ogaden and the Somali border on the pretext of Al-Shabab threat.
This declaration is a calculated ruse to misguide the international community, which is intended to camouflage the massive campaign of detentions and harassment it is conducting in the Ogaden against the civilian population in order to secure it so- called nationalities day to be held in Jigjiga at the end of this month.
Since August the Ethiopian regime’s Army, security and its associated criminal militia named the Liyu-Police had been engaged in massive suppression of the civilian population total violation of the Human Rights of the people. More than one hundred thousand civilians including children and infants had been detained in make-shift detention centres in all military garrisons in Ogaden numbering more than 200. Rape, torture and extra-judicial killings has reached a stage it is no longer countable. In all the major towns, civilians, including the rural people who bring produce and buy food and other necessities are not allowed to leave the towns. The notorious Jail Ogaden, where thousands of innocent civilians are tortured to death is located just few hundred meters away from the festival area.
In addition, the Ogaden National Liberation Army has increased its attacks against the Ethiopian army and soundly trashed them. However the regime’s occupation army and henchmen have instead opted for the soft targets of the civilian population as retribution. Furthermore, the Ogaden National Liberation army controls the Ogaden country side and has not seen any Al-Shabab infiltration in Ogaden and it seems the regime is intent in creating a diversion and hiding its machinations in Ogaden and Ethiopia, where it is committing similar crimes against the democratic rights of the different nations under the Empire state of Ethiopia.
For the last twenty years, the Ethiopia government has milked the international community on the card of War on Terror and this is just another attempt to re-use that card.
An ONLF call upon those have a sense of humanity and justice to condemn the heinous crimes the Ethiopia regime is committing against the Somali people in Ogaden.
Issued by ONLF
November 7, 2013
