ONLF Accuses Somaliland Government of Crimes against Humanity

Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) a separatist rebel group fighting to make the region of Ogaden (also known as Ogadenia) in eastern Ethiopia an independent state has accused Somaliland government and Ethiopian regime crimes against humanity.  A report by ONLF published on Monday says there is evidence of government complicity in crimes against Ogaden poeple in Somaliland. The report reads like this “On 20 May 2013 the Somaliland Administration Abducted Abdirahman Hassan Abdullahi, a Somali from the Ogaden who was in transit at Berbera Airport to visit Yemen refugee camps where his family lives. He was tortured and harshly interrogated by the Hargeisa tribal militia and handed over to the Ethiopian security thugs who took him to an undisclosed location. Since mid-May, there was a surge of indiscriminate manhunt of Somalis from the Ogaden civilians visiting to “Somaliland”. As a result, 27 people from Ogaden, some of whom were even Liyu Police on leave were arrested and handed over to Ethiopian security. The few Liyu police among them who were later released disclosed the fate of poor civilians who were tortured and detained indefinitely. This blank detention and violation of Universal Declaration principles is intended by Hargeisa Administration to solicit favour from the regime in Addis Ababa. Since the proclamation of “Somaliland” entity, more than 300 innocent Somalis from the Ogaden were handed over to Ethiopia. ONLF holds responsible the warlords in Hargeisa for these crimes against humanity for the dire consequences such a vile act brings. The Somali people lives on both sides of the border and such senseless acts exacerbates the already fragile inter-communal relationship that was severely marred by the civil war among the Somali people. ONLF calls the attention of international community and human right Organizations to condemn the human trafficking between Addis Ababa and Hargeisa and take effective measures to bring to an end this crime of deportation of Ogaden people to Ethiopia by the Somali war lords who seek support from Ethiopia for their tribal fiefdoms in Somalia”.

Source: WWW.ONLF.ORG