By: Farah A. Farah (Kanada)* 
Jan 12, 2008

In April 2006, a horrible mass murder got momentum ad reached new heights in Ogaden region of Ethiopia. Over the course of five months, more than 2200 civilians were slaughtered and estimated 120.000 individuals were driven out of the country by the Ethiopian National Defence forces (ENDF). A campaign of terror was undertaken against defenceless civilians. Women and underage girls were gang raped. Torture, mass killing, detention and disappearance were and are still common. Villages were burnt down resulting in hundreds of thousands to be forcefully displaced. To make matters worse, dislodged communities (with their livestock) were denied access to drinking water.

Though the inhuman and degrading treatment inflicted on the communities was (and still remains to be) widespread all over the region, its degree varied from zone to zone. Wardher, Korahay, Degahbur and Fik zones were the epicentre of the campaign. In every standard, what happened in Dagahbur and Fik during this period amounts to genocide. Surely many renowned International Human Right groups described it as a genocide.

The depressing question that many victims and survivors ask themselves is why the international communities are silent on the issue. It is painful and indeed disappointing that they do not know why they deserve to be treated so inhumanely. It is equally disappointing that no one has an answer when or where these atrocities will end. The very security forces funded and trained by the US (as part of war on terror) have been terrorising these vulnerable and defenceless society with impunity. Surely Meles and his associates have misused the wider objectives of the war on terror badly. They diverted it terribly to dealing with their domestic critics and constantly tried to embroil US in regional crisis.

Nowhere is this abuse more acute than Ogaden Region where the regime is so brutal and unkind enough to burn and/or bury the people alive. Will they get justice or Meles and his cronies will get away with the crimes? Will the criminals be held accountable for the killings, tortures, detentions etc they have committed?

Crimes against humanity are common and institutionalised in Ethiopia. It was late 2003 when Gambellas were massacred by the National Security Forces. Former Deputy Minister of Federal Affairs, Dr. Gabreab Baranbaras was coordinating the process. However Abbay Tsahay (former Minister of Federal Affairs) now security adviser of the Prime Minister and General Samora Yunus (Chief Staff of Armed Forces) were the main protagonists closely supervising and giving the necessary directions. Before, Gambellas, it was Oromos who suffered the wrath of the Government and its consequences. No action was taken against those directly responsible for the crimes. This shows that Meles Zenawi was (and still is) guilty of complicity at best. Dr. Gabreab was transferred to Tigrai Region and he now heads Regional Health Bureau.

In Ogaden, the picture is even darker. Still Abbay Tsahaye and General Samora are directly involved in the massacre. They unrepentantly continue the process though now greater in scale. Particularly Mr. Abbay does constantly fly to Jijiga to evaluate the impact, reward those who have inflicted more damages and punish who haven’t done enough. Sadly he personally chaired the meeting in which the regional cabinet approved collective punishment. Similarly, General Samora has visited Dagahbur recently and urged the army to do more crack down the dirty pastoralists (as he put it). Following his return from Dagahbur, the army has immediately started to intensify the killings and other damages they were undertaking.

Other perpetrators include:

• Tawlde Berhe: EPRDF representative and the de facto regional administrator

• Brg. General Quarter: Commander of Eastern Division

• Colonel Wandituru: Commander of 32nd Brigade

• Da’uud Mahamed: Head of ruling Party

• Abdi Omar: Head of Regional Security Sector

More than 200 others working in the security apparatus and the regional government are known to have participated in this terror and massacre campaign.

Estimates of the genocide vary from thousands to tens of thousands. However, regardless of the exact figure, what is clear is that the architects of this infamous genocide have s far eluded justice.

Not only has the Government killed, tortured, detained, displaced or gang raped. It has also starved the whole population denying them any access to food and drinking water.

Therefore, the victims, survivors and those who lost their beloved ones are now demanding the arrest and prosecution of those who committed these horrendous crimes. They would like to see Zenawi and others held accountable for what they did the innocent civilians. Truly the current Ethiopian regime led by Zenawi has been committing uglier crimes than Milosevic and Charles Tailor. But the regime still enjoys considerable support from Western countries. This is really unacceptable to powerless victims.

Until now the Gambella genocide architects have not been prosecuted in any court of justice, within or outside Ethiopia, because of other priorities by the US and western countries.

This has encouraged practicing another slaughter in conflict torn Ogaden once again, were government army forces are accused by human rights organisations of mass murder and starvation policy that claimed nearly million innocent lives.

Years of massacre campaign and rampages has been accompanied by starvation policy, the recent UN mission in the region gave premonitions that the situation in the region has all hallmark of Darfur in making.

John Holmes, UN Under-Secretary for Humanitarian affairs briefed the Security Council after visiting the region that the food and goods blockade will be lifted immediately but it is still in place.

He urged incumbent Prime Minister Zenawi to allow independent UN mission to investigate atrocities committed. As the starvation deaths increase, Meles is trying to subvert and obstruct independent UN mission.

Majority of international community are party to the Convention on the Prevention of the Crime of Genocide, and as such, all governments have signed both to prevent and to punish acts of genocide, therefore they have moral duty to upheld their commitment and bring justice all senior military and regional officials identified.
A detailed report published by advocacy organisations described the situation as Genocide and called for international intervention.

The recent report by Centre for Development Research Advocacy (CDRA) investigated whether the atrocities qualified as Genocide, an examination teams sent to Ogaden and neighbouring countries to meet the survivors concluded that the answer is yes. This is important report, because it expands the usage of the term “Genocide” to include tribally targeted mass killings, rapes and large number of population displacement perpetrated in the course of military crackdown.

What is emerged from this report anyway, is the grand design to torture, starve, brutalise an entire Ogaden population and ultimately murder a quarter of them was going on since April.

Since Zenewi’s minority TPLF regime came to power with barrel of gun nearly two decades ago, state repression and denial of basic rights for 80 million Ethiopians became rampant and widely institutionalised.

In his bid to hang onto power for fifth term and ensure his own survival in the face of international condemnation and embarrassment fro last 2005 elections, the regime resort to snuffing more people.

The army officers who masterminded the Gambella killings were simply following the orders as the Nazis did before them and will continue to do in Ogaden unless those in charge are tried for crimes against humanity.

The international community, particularly, the United States government, with its powerful Genocide Accountability Act, could be invoked here to stop more killings in Ogaden. This piece of legislation together with ICC rules would permit all perpetrators of genocide living in US to be prosecuted within the US legal system, regardless of their citizenship or the location of their crimes.

Like the US, this is the only way the international community can prevent further killings and deny safe havens for genocidaires and ensure they are brought to justice.
In the previous decades we saw genocide occur in other parts of the world. Today we confront the reality of ongoing genocide in Ogaden and it’s shameful if we don’t stop now and talk about a century later in a manner analogous to Armenian genocide.
The international community, particularly the US, and citizens everywhere must take a stand today to prevent and to stop acts of genocide.

It is incumbent on every nation in the world to ensure that such crimes against humanity are not tolerated. The not so distant tragedy in Rwanda should at as a wake up all.


*The writer is the Director of Centre for Development Research and Advocacy (CDRA) and can be reached farahafey@gmail.com