Since armed conflict erupted in Ogaden between ONLF fighters and EPRDF forces in 1994 after the latter failed to implement rights for self-determination, large numbers of political refugees were exiled out of Ogaden. However, as fighting is going on inside the region where native populations are brutally subjugated up to date, Ogaden refugees are abused while they are in the asylum countries.
Djibouti and Somalia are politically dominated and also violated when it comes to sovereignty and integrity by Addis Ababa amid Ogaden refugees’ have been collectively persecuted. Moreover, TPLF regime failed to politically dominateKenyabut managed to violate when it comes to sovereignty and integrity of the latter as refugees have been abused under Kenyan territory.
Somalia and its autonomous administrations;
Somaliawas disintegrated since 1991 into clan-affiliate warlords-run and self-appointed administrations in the central and southern, and northern regions respectively. As Somali factions including self-claimed administrations lacked both regional and international engagements,Addis Ababamakes itself as the only accessible government-like entity in the region. Therefore, Ethiopian regime exploited the needs of the disadvantaged Somali groups including Somaliland,PuntLand, and warlord-run southernSomalia.
The self-claimed Somalilandadministration had extradited three Ogaden refugees to Ethiopian security forces in 1996 as EPRDF pressured them to do so. Again and again, the Hargaisa administration repeatedly employed abusive steps as it illegally detained and sentenced dozens of Ogaden refugees in 2003 while pleasing Ethiopian security forces. Though Hargaisa’s abusing actions are countless as it is dominated by Addis Ababaregime, the most high profile extradition happened in 2010. Amother of four, Bisharo Wa’di Shaqlane was handed to Ethiopian authorities in February 2010 despite Mrs. Wa’di earlier escaped from Ethiopia’s military custody in 2007 while having been physically tortured and abused by the security men since her initial arrest of 2006.
Similarly, the PuntLandadministration of Somaliahad abused Ogaden refugees since 2007 until its authorities along with Ethiopian military’s delegate in Garowe, had captured two high profile ONLF officials, and transferred them to Ethiopian garrison town of Hararin 2008. Though refugees’ intimidation, harassing and abusing activities including the unlawful extraditions and forceful return to Ethiopiawere climax from 2008 to 2011, the widely-known abuses occurred in November 2009. The today’s infamous government of Abdirahman Farole had captured five men originated from Ogaden, among them ONLF officials, and handed them to Ethiopian security forces in Bossaso. While they were in the brutal interrogations, one of them died on-spot, another one taken ahead to Addis Ababa, and the other three remained under Farole’s detention with poor conditions until awhile.
The Meles Zenawi regime having calculated that it hunted Ogaden refugees from Hargaisa, Bossaso to Galka’ayo, had simultaneously targeted to Lower Juba region ofSomalia where it assassinated a number of Ogaden refugees including ONLF officials since 2008. Even if this region was under AlShabab who are fairly enough hostile to Ogaden refugees, there are hefty evidences that Addis Ababa regime had co-designed several high profile assassinations targeted to Ogaden activists.
Djibouti under domination;
Despite its membership to the United Nations as a sovereign state unlike Hargaisa and Garowe, the Djiboutiregimes had raided Ogaden refugees’ residences in the city, and illegally extradited them to Addis Ababa. Even if those on top of the list had managed to escape into neighboring countries, nine refugees including ONLF official who later died from the suffering of Ethiopian detention, had been handed over to Addis Ababaregime in 1996. Again, the Guelle’s regime had captured and extradited Ogaden origins toAddis Ababa in February 2011 as this was among TPLF’s latest attempts to contain Ogaden struggle violently with impunity.
In this raid, almost four dozens of Ogaden origins most of them refugees though few were having Djiboutian citizenship since longtime, were taken to Ethiopian military barracks in the border areas until they were ended to the famous jail in Jigjiga – the jail-Ogaaden. This jail where most of the beyond-border abductees are ended unless they are transferred to Addis Ababa’s Kaliti or Ma’ikalawi detention centers, is known as a “centre of torture and inhumanly treatments”. Though none of the ethnics or tribes is secure from regime’s brutality particularly since 2006, this jail has been named to an ethnic name by the public amid it’s seen as an exclusive site to specific community for punishing.
Though refugees abused, Kenya resisted;
In 2011, the Zenawi-led TPLF regime had further transported its terrorizing and hunting missions against Ogaden refugees into the Kenyan territory. Unlike theDjibouti andSomalia where TPLF forces were directly dominating, they faced significant challenges asKenya’s political and social environment is different from the other two. Therefore, TPLF was forced to set up its own proxies from neighboringSomalia regions namely the Lower Juba andNortheasternProvince including Dadaab refugee camps.
Among pre-request steps to set up proxies, Addis Ababa implemented its stage-managed so-called peace deals on July 2010 with a faction of defunct Al-Itahad Al-Islam namely Union Western Somali Liberation Front (UWSLF). Furthermore, Ahmed Madobe – the leader of split group fromSomalia’s Hisbul-Islam though the group is just similar with UWSLF because of background, was hosted inAddis Ababa on August 2010 as a member of TPLF’s future proxies in the southernSomalia. These proxies were intended for both the Ogaden refugees inKenya as well asNairobi’s engagement toward neighboring regions ofSomalia amid TPLF looks unfavorably toKenya’s move in southernSomalia.
After months of anxiety through sophisticated propaganda and intimidations, February 4, 2011 was the start day of consecutive political murdering against Ogaden activists including ONLF officials. Dozens of politically-inspired assassinations, attempts of assassinations, intimidations and other physical abuses had been carried out against Ogaden refugees by alleged Ethiopian spies and recruits. ThoughKenyaas a government never contributed these crises, which is becoming a political blow up to TPLF regime, perpetrators take the advantage ofKenya’s traditional challenges such as corruption to escape being identified and prosecuted by country’s security and justice.
Conclusions;
If TPLF regime had been manipulating bothSomaliaandDjiboutiauthorities amid abusing Ogaden refugees since 1996, its 2011 hunting missions inKenyahad fairly questioned its dominance role in the region. InKenya, TPLF was forced to mask itself as it lacked any political backing to pursue abusing refugees amid criminalizing itself because of its abusive actions towards both refugees and hosting communities.
Despite employing its brutal subjugation in Ogaden and the intensified beyond-border hunting missions toward refugees inside (the) dominated neighboring countries, TPLF never managed to overcome Ogaden people and their struggle. But they could keep on terrorizing Ogaden refugees and hosting communities while destabilizing neighboring countries. Nonetheless, this should make TPLF naked and explicit under neighbors’ eyes and concerned world which could lead serious backlash in the near future as regime is increasingly becoming odd against its traditional allies.
Shame on TPLF; zero sums politically after years of exploitation!
By Ahmed Farah Mohamud
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■The author is the Chairman of Ogaden Refugees Committee (ORC), and can be followed at: LinkedIn;,
http://ke.linkedin.com/pub/ahmed-mohamud/44/65a/466 , @mohamudfarah on Twitter
■ORC is an advocating and representing body for refugees and asylum seekers from conflict-hit Ogaden region of Ethiopia
